Newsletter 2/26/14

Important Dates to Remember:
March 8-16 - Spring break; no preschool (noon dismissal at 12 noon on Friday, February 7th)

THIS WEEK’S LITERACY EXPERIENCES
Morning Books
"The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Paul Galdone
"Foxy!" by Jessica Souhami
"The Z was Zapped" by Chris Van Allsburg

Afternoon Books
"Dirt on my Shirt" by Jeff Foxworthy
"Alphabet Trucks" by Samantha Vamos

PLANNING & RECALL
We used puppets this week for planning and recall time. Children enjoyed impersonating different animal puppets and stuffed animals to share their work time plans.

BIBLE LESSON
God took care of his people, the Israelites, in the desert and led them to camp at the base of a mountain called Mount Sinai. Moses went up the mountain and God spoke to him there, telling him to remind the Israelites how He had let them out of Egypt, taken care of them in the desert, and now urged them to listen and obey him. There at the top of Mount Sinai, God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Moses shared them with the Israelites, giving them them the opportunity to show love for God by keeping and obeying these Commandments. We also have the opportunity to show our love for God by obeying him. And for all the times we know we fail to keep the Commandments, we thank Him for sending Jesus to die on the cross to pay for those sins.
Bible verse: Psalm 119:47 "I delight in your commands."
Bible song: "Go Down Moses"

MUSIC
In Music this week we continue to explore the concept of pitch. We use a song called "Driving Down the Highway" to sing ascending and descending scales, while also using a picture to search for things on the ground and in the air. We tie this concept of high and low objects to the concept of high and low pitches. Children are quickly catching on and are able to match my high and low pitches.

MOVEMENT
This week we take a little "field trip" upstairs to our fellowship hall to play a game called "Clean our Neighborhood" with the balloons. We divide into two groups, each with our own neighborhood sectioned off with a jump rope. The object is to keep our neighborhoods clean by trying to get all the balloons into the other team's neighborhood. Self-regulation, teamwork, and participation are key skills we learn this week as we play this game.

SMALL GROUP TIME
This week during small group time, we’re focusing on the Key Developmental Indicator (KDI): Alphabetic Knowledge. Alphabetic knowledge means understanding the alphabetic principle, which is the systematic relationship between letters and sounds. Children acquire this knowledge by building letter recognition and building an awareness of letter-sound connections. Young children learn letter names and sounds in the context of their playing, reading, and writing. They do not benefit from memorizing isolated letters or studying the "letter of the day". Some of the things we do at Small Group Time to increase specific letter recognition include working in teams to match letter hearts, tossing bean bags on to large letters on the floor, using geoboards to connect letters, and going on a letter hunt around the classroom and school.