Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Newsletter 12/18/13

Important Dates to Remember:
December 20 – Noon Dismissal; Christmas Service at 6:30PM
December 21 – January 5 – Christmas break, no preschool

THIS WEEK’S LITERACY EXPERIENCES
Morning Books
"Who is Coming to Our House" by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff
"Grumpy Badger's Christmas" by Paul Bright and Jane Chapman
"Hedgie's Surprise" by Jan Brett

Afternoon Books
"Hickory Dickory Dock and other Nursery Rhymes" by Carol Jones

PLANNING & RECALL
This week during planning and recall time, we used the silver star as a planning board again. For young children, anything can become a learning experience. With the planning board, the children have been curious about the texture and smell of the tin foil covering the star. They also enjoy using their fine motor skills to pin their clothespin in the area they are planning. Observing children's interest in these materials helps guide educators to plan experiences based on these interests. This week tin foil, clothespins and other textured paper was placed in the sensory table for further exploration. 

BIBLE LESSON
The time was arriving for Mary to give birth to God's Son, Jesus. Caesar Augustus, the ruler of the land at the time, issued a decree that a census should be taken to see how many people were living in his land. Everyone had to return to their home towns to register. Mary and Joseph, who had been living in Nazareth, had to travel to a town called Bethlehem, their home town. After arriving in Bethlehem, they discovered that all of the inns were full. Instead, they found room in a nearby stable with the animals. When the time came for Mary to give birth, she had a son, whom she named Jesus. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger. Shortly after Jesus' birth, angels shared the joyous news with shepherds out in the fields tending their flocks. The shepherds found Jesus in the stable just as the angels had told them, and they rejoiced in his birth! The shepherds, Mary, Joseph, and we too rejoice in Jesus' birth. Jesus, the promised Savior who came to live a perfect life for us, die on the cross for our sins, and rise from the dead to defeat death so that we may live with Him forever in heaven!

MUSIC
We used music time this week to revisit many of our old favorite songs. We used the bells we made to sing "Jingle Bells". We also used the bells to keep the beat on different parts of our body like shoulders, toes, arms and knees. Some other songs the children chose to sing again include "5 Green and Speckled Frogs", "B-I-N-G-O", and "Seesaw, Margery Daw". We also learned a new Christmas hymn this week -- "Away in a Manger".

MOVEMENT
During movement time this week we saw many different animals emerge! Our first song is called "Bunny Jump" where we jump like bunnies, wiggle like fish, and kick our hooves. We then try some animal movement challenges: moving like cats, elephants, ostriches, rabbits, frogs and fish. The children use their large motor skills as well as their imaginations to become all these different animals.

SMALL GROUP TIME
This week during small group time, we’re focusing on the Key Developmental Indicator (KDI): measuring. For preschoolers, measurement is about realizing that things have measurable properties and making comparisons on these dimensions (height, volume, age, time, older and younger, lightest and heaviest, short, medium and tall).
Some of the experiences this week that focus on measuring include using unifix cubes to measure the length of different objects, measuring volume of water by seeing how many cups it takes to fill different containers. We also measured sound volume by using different musical instruments to discover loud and soft sounds. Finally, we used yarn to measure larger objects in the classroom and compared the lengths. 

AFTERNOON EXPERIENCES
After rest time, the children revisited materials used during small group time or previous experiences that gained their interest. Lower student numbers in the afternoon allows for more freedom to let the children take initiative and choose which activities interest them. Often times they choose books, puzzles, or art activities. 









Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Newsletter 12/11/13

Important Dates to Remember:
December 20 – Noon Dismissal; Christmas Service at 6:30PM
December 21 – January 5 – Christmas break, no preschool

THIS WEEK’S LITERACY EXPERIENCES
Morning Books
"Where Is Home, Little Pip?" by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
"This Is the Stable" by Cynthia Cotten
"Llama Llama Holiday Drama" by Anna Dewdney

Afternoon Books
"Hickory Dickory Dock and other Nursery Rhymes" by Carol Jones

PLANNING & RECALL
This week during planning and recall time, we used a silver star with each point of the star representing a different area in the classroom. When it was each child’s turn to plan, they placed a clothespin on the area in which they planned to work. Recalling activities involves social interaction on a very personal level. Children have to find the right words, actions, and gestures to convey their meaning to others. The process of talking about their intentions and actions helps children actually create or construct meaningful memories. 

BIBLE LESSON
This week we jump ahead in our Bible lessons to prepare for the Christmas season. Our lesson this week is “God’s Special Message for Mary.” When it was time for God’s son Jesus to be born, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary telling her that she had been chosen for the special task of being Jesus’ mother. Mary was surprised at the news the angel brought and was confused because she was a virgin and not yet married. Gabriel assured her that all things are possible with God, and that the child conceived in her would be from the Holy Spirit. She would give birth to a baby boy and his name would be Jesus. He would be the Savior of the world and the fulfillment of the promise made long ago to people like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Mary believed God’s words from Gabriel and said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” After the angel’s visit, Mary became the wife of a man named Joseph. God had also appeared to Joseph in a dream, letting him know that the baby conceived in Mary was the promised Savior. Together, Mary and Joseph waited for the Savior to be born.  

MUSIC 
Keeping a steady beat is the focus of our music songs again this week. We enjoy using the rhythm sticks to practice keeping the beat. We also have been taking turns keeping a beat on various parts of our bodies such as our knees, feet, tummies and heads. This week during small group time we made jingle bell shakers to go with our new song “Jingle Bells”. We will be using our shakers to keep the beat to that new song, as well as reviewing some of our familiar songs. Some other songs we’ve enjoyed during music time include, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”, “Don’t Throw Your Junk in My Backyard”, and “Do You Know the Muffin Man?”

MOVEMENT
During movement time we warm up with a song called “Circus Dance”, where we practice our tightrope walking skills and add tricks like swaying, turning around, kicking, leaning forward and back, and reaching low and high. We are also continuing to move with bean bags this week. Instead of marching to our parade song, we are using our beanbags to touch various parts of our body, balance them, use them to draw shapes in the air, and place them on the floor as we navigate around them in various ways (hopping over, walking around, jumping over, galloping around etc.). The song “Popcorn Calling Me” was a big hit last week, so we conclude movement time with that song again. Ask your child to sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, POP like the song says. They make some great popcorn kernels!

SMALL GROUP TIME
This week during small group time, we’re focusing on several KDIs: fine motor skills, art and part/whole relationships. As with many activities, several KDIs may be touched on in a single experience. This week we started by making jingle bell shakers, we used paint sample cards to practice our scissor snipping, we played with gingerbread play dough, made pipe cleaner candy canes with beads, and on Friday we worked on a winter themed step-by-step drawing. Through all these experiences children have a chance to be creative and artistic while also developing those fine motor skills as they thread beads on pipe cleaners, hold a pencil, or manipulate play dough. When children add jingle bells to make a single shaker, snip a card into smaller pieces, or divide play dough into smaller chunks they are also exploring the concept of parts making up a whole. 

AFTERNOON EXPERIENCES
After rest time, the children explore the KDI alphabetic knowledge.  Children learn best through hands on experiences rather than rote memorization or drill activities. When children are repeatedly exposed to a rich variety of literacy and print, they will gradually learn the uniqueness of each mark. If children are simply taught the names of letters by rote, they may have difficulty grasping the idea that letters are associated with sounds. However, once children learn the sounds associated with a few letters, most are able to deduce the alphabetic principle and begin to apply it to other letters. Some of the activities we are doing in the afternoon to increase this exposure to print include placing buttons on letter cards, manipulating pipe cleaners to make our name, reading books, and working on large alphabet floor puzzles. 

Being the last one at school has its perks!

The artistic princess.

Our playground became an ice slide.

Putting on a tie to eat at our restaurant.

Snack time is one of the best parts of the day!

Friends with jingle bells

The balancing act with beanbags.

Playing bean bag toss.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Newsletter 12/4/13

Important Dates to Remember:
December 20 – Noon Dismissal; Christmas Service at 6:30PM
December 21-January 5 – Christmas break, no preschool

THIS WEEK’S LITERACY EXPERIENCES
Morning Books
"Pie in the Sky" by Lois Ehlert
"Don’t Forget I Love You" by Miriam Moss
"Snowmen All Year" by Caralyn Buehner

Afternoon Books
"Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom" by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

PLANNING & RECALL
This week during planning and recall time, we played “spin the bottle” with an old water bottle. At recall time, when children think about their work time experiences, they gradually begin to associate what they did with the plans before they started. They begin to develop a consciousness of purpose, realizing that planning prior to doing gives them control of their actions through the entire plan-do-review process. This week a new restaurant prop box was introduced in the house area. Many of the children enjoyed planning to play in the house area this week to play restaurant.

BIBLE LESSON
This week we hear about the family of a man named Isaac, who was the gracious fulfillment of the promise of a son God gave to Abraham and Sarah. Isaac grew up and was blessed with a wife named Rebekah. They had twin boys named Jacob and Esau. Because of sin in this world, Jacob lied to his father Isaac to receive the blessing and inheritance that was meant for Esau, the eldest twin. When Esau found out that Jacob lied to receive the birthright, he was very angry and vowed to kill his brother Jacob. With more lies and deception, Rebekah helped her son Jacob escape, and used the reason of finding a wife from Rebekah’s homeland as a reason for leaving. They didn’t tell Isaac the true reason for leaving – that it was to escape being killed. As Jacob traveled to his mother’s family’s land, he stopped to rest one night, using a stone as a pillow. That night God came to Jacob in a dream. In his dream, Jacob saw angels ascending and descending on a stairway to heaven. At the top of the stairs stood God himself, who promised Jacob that he would give him the land of Canaan one day, that Jacob’s family would be large in number, and one day the Savior would come from his family. He promised to be with Jacob always, and to return him home safely one day. God loves us so much that he didn’t let sinful men get in the way of his plan of salvation. Forgive us for our sins, Lord, and thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die in our place!


MUSIC 
The new aspect of rhythm introduced this week is steady beat. Of all the basic individual abilities that are necessary to function musically, none ranks as important as feeling and performing the steady beat. Research indicates that if the ability to respond to and perform steady beats is not acquired by the age of four or five, little can be done later in life to acquire it. Simple ways to include keeping the beat in songs include clapping along, using rhythm instruments, and moving to music. We are clapping and using rhythm sticks to keep the beat to the familiar song “Hey, Betty Martin”. In our new song “Seesaw, Margery Daw”, we use our bodies in a see-saw motion to keep the beat. 

MOVEMENT
We enjoy using bean bags again this week during movement time. It is quite the challenge to get the bean bag to balance on our head without holding it, as we march around the room to the song “Bean Bag Parade”. This week we’ve also included the game “Help me, Please!” which provides for some more social interaction and practice using manners by saying please, thank you, and you’re welcome. If the bean bag falls of our head while we’re marching, we ask for help from a friend to pick it up. We end movement time this week with the song “Popcorn Calling Me”. We have a chance to walk, dance, and run away from our home spot markers. When the popcorn calls us home, we go back to our spot and sizzle, sizzle, sizzle like popcorn until we POP!

SMALL GROUP TIME
This week during small group time, we’re focusing on two KDI’s, cooperative play and reading. Typically we have small group activities at the tables, but this week we’ve moved to the carpet area for some acting out of familiar stories, games, and songs. Children work together to act out the words, often imitating each other’s actions. Acting out stories, songs and chants allows children to express their enjoyment of reading through actions. Some of the literacy pieces we’ve used this week include “5 Little Monkeys”, “Caps for Sale”, and a puppet show of one of our morning stories. We also played musical chairs and Jenga. 

AFTERNOON EXPERIENCES
After rest time, the children explore the KDI tools and technology.  Developing the dexterity to use tools is an aspect of physical growth, while understanding how tools work and using them to carry out investigations is part of early science learning. Children learn problem solving skills, experiment, and predict what specific actions a tool might do. Some of the simple tools we use this week include magnifying glasses, staplers, hole punches, a tape measure, and baking tools.

Playing in the packing peanuts

Playing in the restaurant