End of our Snow Unit Feb. 3-7

Cub Cadet Olympic Games
On Feb. 6, our class will participate in the winter Olympics to celebrate the end of our snow unit.  We will create and take Olympic torches up to Louise D'Amato and Dr. Conti's offices.  They will help us official start our games.  Please have your child wear red, white, or blue to show our support for the USA games.  It will be a fun day.  

Books This Week:
Stella: Queen of the Snow
Katy and the Big Snow

Small Groups For This Week:
1.Social Science- Maps- We will be creating a map of our preschool then using the map to find all of the locations.  We will get a sticker from each location on the map and put it on the map at our location.  This will be a fun way to learn about maps and how they help us.
2.Math- We will be rolling a number cube. Then identify the number. Then each child will show the correct number of cubes for the number. Finally, they will need to use a bingo dobber to mark the number.
3. Phonemic Awareness(Continued project from last week)- We will be introducing the concept of "ear spelling" as we discuss animals in each of The Mitten books we are comparing.  We have read 2 versions of the same story.  We will be "ear spelling" the animals names (ie. mouse may be spelled MOS or boar may be spelled BOR) It is more about the process of listening to the sounds than having the correct spelling.
**Special Activity- Weather permitting- We will be given a scavenger hunt paper and a clipboard and go outside for a walk.  We will try to find animal tracks in the snow or animal homes in the winter.  We will record our results on our clipboards.

Let's Talk About It 
-Expanding (When we add water to sponges they get bigger)
-New life skill role play
-What to do to prepare for a blizzard
-Winter Olympics

Centers
Art Table: Olympic Torches / Open Ended Art 
Block Area: Igloos for people figures
Sensory Table:  Sand Toys
Book Area: books about weather
Easel: Snow pictures (white paint on blue paper)
Writing Table: weather pictures
Dramatic Play: Hot Cocoa Shop
Puzzles and Manipulatives: Surveys -Children develop questions and chart how their friends respond (yes/no)

Handwriting
We will continuing a program called Handwriting Without Tears. It's focus is on letter formation and letter awareness. This program reinforces proper grasp and trying to strenghten fine motor muscles.
-We are working on letters with big and little lines that include curves (ie: D,P, etc)

Songs, Word Play, and Language
-SNOWY (A version of Bingo) "There was a day when we were cold and snowy was the weather."
-Syllable Tapping for vocabulary words for Tracks In The Snow
-PETER (A version of Bingo) on the touch It Board
-Rhyming Game- One child will sit in a chair with their back facing the touch it board. A word will be displayed.  Children sitting on the rug will say words that rhyming with the word as the child tries to guess the picture behind them.

Preschool Manners
We are moving onto our new skill.
-When someone is in your way or has something you want, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you, then you say"May I____________?" to get what you want.