Wednesday, November 25, 2015

I'm in the Lord's Army

Such a short week this week! The students only had three days of school. We did our best to keep the students focused on the content we wanted to teach. They did a wonderful job! It's amazing to hear what the children are thankful for this week. God continues to bless Faith Lutheran Preschool. I pray you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Morning Stories:
Gobble, Gobble Crash by Julie Stiegemeyer
Give Thanks Each Day by Steve Metzger
Cloudy with a Change of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Clark the Shark Afraid of the Dark by Bruce Hale
Click Clack Peep! by Doreen Cronin
The students were able to dig for fossils this week!
Planning/Recall:
The students were able to use flashlights this week. This is very easy during planning time when it is still dark outside. We turn off the lights and the students are able to shine on the areas they want to work in that day. The students really enjoyed being able to use the flashlights.

Sensory Table:
The students were able to place buttons (as leaves) on pipecleaner trees inside the sensory table. The students enjoyed being able to do this activity and it worked on their fine motor skills!


Bible Time:
This week the students heard the story of David and Goliath. We used visual aids to help the students realize the size difference between David and Goliath. This helped them to better understand the importance of God being on David's side. They were able to look at Psalm 56:11a, "In God I trust and am not afraid." The students were also able to learn the song, I'm in the Lord's Army! They have also worked on learning the song, Sing Glory Glory! which will be for our Christmas program on December 18th. The students enjoy singing the refrain as well as the verses. We have been doing actions with the words.

Movement Time:
This week the students are reviewing and adding onto last weeks lesson. We are again doing animal movements. The students love being able to act like the animals and learn more about how exactly these animals move. We have been playing the Sleeping Animal game. The students go to sleep and when they wake up they are to act like a certain animal. They enjoy this activity quite a bit!
Last week the students enjoyed exploring with
hairgel and beads in the sensory bowls.
Music Time:
The students have been working with the concept of pitch this week. They are able to understand that we can use our voices to sing high, low, and in the middle. We have been working on demonstrating these pitches as well as having each other guess which pitch we are demonstrating. The students have been willing to demonstrate on their own - what a wonderful surprise! They have been singing songs that we previously learned and demonstrating with their hands when the pitch is high or when the pitch is low. 

Small Group:
The KDI (Key Developmental Indicator) for this week is Art. Since it is Thanksgiving this week, we wanted to the students to have the opportunity to make projects that relate to the holiday. 

Monday: The students were about to put feather on a turkey and say what they were thankful for. It was wonderful to see the different ideas the students said. The one that touched me the most was a student that said, "I'm thankful I get to go to heaven one day." What a wonderful thing to hear as we prepare for Thanksgiving.
Tuesday: The students were able to take orange, brown and green paint to create a pumpkin. The students were able to fold the paper in half and spread the paint using their hands - to attempt to make a pumpkin. We had a wide variety of pumpkins come out!
Wednesday: They were able to create turkeys for Thanksgiving! The students were provided the body of the turkey - they were in charge of making its feathers. The students did this by painting with dish brushes. The students really enjoyed this activity!

Afternoon Story:
Franklin and the bike helmet by Paulette Bourgeois
The hairdressers returned to the classroom this week!
Afternoon Tables:
The students were able to use the sensory table in the afternoon as well as choose from snack and one of the following activities:
Monday (Math): number flashcards, linking cubes with number cards to create a representation of the number with the cubes.
Tuesday (Fine Motor): marshmallows and toothpicks, pipe cleaners with letter cards to create the letter.
Wednesday (Manipulatives): Nuts, screws, bolts, and magnetic shapes.


I pray you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Sing Glory Glory

The week has started out very chilly for the students. They have not been able to enjoy the outdoors as much as they are use to. Hopefully by the end of the week the students will be able to enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather. The students have been busy learning more about Alaska this week. A few of the things the students have learned about this week are: the size of Alaska, animals that live here and mountains. The students were especially excited to voice their knowledge of animals and learn some fun facts too.
The students enjoyed being ballerinas this week and last week!
Morning Stories:
Who took the cookie from the cookie jar? by Viviana Garofoli
The Dot by Peter Reynolds
This is a Moose by Richard Morris
Giggle Giggle Quack by Doreen Cronin
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Planning Time:
The students have been challenged this week. There are three cups in front of them. They have to find the square hidden under one of the cups in order to plan. We do this while rotating in a circle. The students have picked up on it very well! They are now watching the cups very closely to see which one the square is under.

Sensory Table:
The students were able to play in the sensory table this week. It was filled with water, bubbles and sponges. The students started the week by just playing with the sponges. Today I added dishes for the students to use in the table. They ended up using the sponges to wash the dishes.

Bible Time:
The students have been focusing on God giving his people Jericho. They are quite familiar with the story already! Pastor Chris Ewings was able to come in on Tuesday to spend some time with the students learning more about this Bible story. They have been focusing on 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." The song this week is pretty simple. They have been learning Joshua fought the battle of Jericho. The students really enjoy being able to create visual representations of the walls of Jericho and acting out the story. 

Movement Time:
This week the students are focusing on animals movements. They are able to explore different animals and see that all animals move differently. This is a great way for the students to get their bodies moving while learning more about how animals move! The students have been able to explore how rabbits, cheetahs, snakes, horses, and snails move. They enjoy demonstrating these movements to one another. They are even able to choose what animal they want to learn about next.

Music Time:
The students have been focusing on pitch once again. The students are able to understand that you can make your voice sing high and low. The students also enjoy demonstrating a pitch and having their fellow students guess what pitch they are showing us. Every week the students review previous songs from the weeks before. The students are able to voice their opinions on which songs are their favorite. The song for this week is Driving Down the Highway." They are also able to use bells with this song. 

Small Group:
The KDI (Key Developmental Indicator) this week is Geography. Children recognize and interpret features and locations in their environment. 

Monday: The students were able to discuss the size of Alaska. They were also able to look on a map to see how small Anchorage was in comparison to the whole state. The students were able to use a puzzle of the United States to see that there are many other states (along with Alaska) that make up the U.S.


Tuesday: They were able to look at several different pictures of animals living in Alaska. I asked the students to share their knowledge of the animals and I also provided them with some fun facts about the animals.


Wednesday: The students focused on mountains. I was able to show them a picture of Mt. Denali. The name of the mountain was very difficult for the students. After seeing pictures of the mountains, the students were able to create a mountain on their own using playdough.


Thursday: The students were able to look at the pictures of Alaskan animals and choose which one was their favorite. After choosing their favorite animal, the students attempted to create their own picture!
Friday: They were able to watch a video on Alaska. The students were able to draw pictures of mountains and various items they saw in the video on Alaska. 

Afternoon Story:
Franklin and the Baby by Paulette Bourgeois

Afternoon Tables:
The sensory table was full of water and sponges this week. The students were able to play in the table or 'wash dishes', choose one of the following table activities, or have snack.

Monday (Math): number cards with pipecleaners and beads, numbered cups with buttons, and bear counters.
Tuesday (Fine Motor): foam beads with string, buttons with string, and lacing cards.
Wednesday (Manipulatives): giant floor puzzles, blocks, and mini legos.
Thursday (Art): creating a collage with feathers, buttons, and pom poms or painting with legos.
Friday (Sensory): small containers filled with hair gel and small animals.

This week the students were introduced to our mailboxes!
They were able to write and deliver letters.







Wednesday, November 11, 2015

My God is so Great!

This week the students have been practicing in the church for singing on Sunday! They continue to show excitement and no longer need help with the words to the song! (I am Jesus Little Lamb) I pray you will all be able to attend this Sunday at 10:30am for our service. They students are excited to be able to stand in front of church to sing. What a blessing!

Morning Stories:
If you give a dog a donut by Laura Numeroff
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watt
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Ish by Peter Reynolds
Clark the Shark Time to Share by Bruce Hale

Bible Time:
During the week the students have been hearing about God giving the 10 commandments. Pastor Chris Ewings came in to talk to the students more about each of those commandments and what they mean. The students were able to practice singing I am Jesus Little Lamb - as well as learn a new song called My God is so Great! The students have enjoyed practicing the song for church on Sunday. They also enjoy learning new songs. By Wednesday the students are usually very familiar with the new material for the week. During the week the students have been focusing on Psalm 119:47, "I delight in your commands." 
The students enjoyed a demonstration from Pastor Ewings
last week on parting the Red Sea.

Movement Time:
The students have been working on leaping this week. They are still review other movements too. They are able to do a warm up activity and stretching before focusing on the task during the week. This week we have even practiced doing our movements outside. The students have demonstrated their abilities despite the snow and heavy layers of clothing.

Music Time:
They have had the opportunity to have music inside of church this week. We have practiced walking to the front of church, lining up so we can see, and also singing the verses for our sing. The students have also been focusing on high and slow sounds. They are able to make the sounds while singing as well as distinguish if a note is high or if the note is low. We have been using the piano for the demonstration of these notes. 

Small Group Time:
The KDI (Key Developmental Indicator from the SPARK curriculum) is Art. Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through two and three dimensional art. We have had a variety of activities this week. I am trying to get the students to create accurate representations each day. You will notice on their art I have been writing what they made. For example when a student was using paint to create a picture, I asked what the picture was. He responded with "I made a dino house!" 

Monday: The students were able to use contact paper and tissue squares to create a type of stain glass window. You will find these located on our windows of the classroom.


Tuesday: They had the opportunity to paint with toothbrushes. They had the option of four different colors of paint (some even had glitter) to create a picture with.


Wednesday: The students used watercolor paints to create a representation of something. Another task this day was recognizing the first letter of their names - it was located on their picture. They had to find it before beginning. 



Thursday: They had the chance to create pictures using balloons and paint. The students were using the balloons as their paint brushes throughout the activity.
Friday: They were able to do some finger painting. Again, we asked the students to tel us what they made a picture of.

Afternoon Story:
Franklin Goes Canoeing by Paulette Bourgeois

Afternoon Tables:
Monday (Math): using number cards and pipe cleaners to place a certain number of beads on each pipe cleaner. Students were also able to take a cup with a certain number of dots as well as the written number and place buttons inside.


Tuesday (Fine Motor): sewing and weaving cards with string, tweezers with pom poms and muffin trays to sort by color.
Wednesday (Manipulatives): fishing by number game, marble run, legos.
Thursday (Art): glitter glue art project, drawing and coloring on paper.
Friday (Sensory): Playdough


New sunglasses made an appearance in our
Dramatic Play area this week!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Call Upon Me

With Parent-Teacher conferences and a field trip this week - it has been busy. The week has flown by. The students were able to enjoy a performance by the Alaska Junior Theater on Click Clack Moo. While the play did not follow the book exactly, the students still enjoyed being able to take a little outing from school and watch a play in a theater. With the excitement of the theater, the students have been full of energy this week. It is wonderful to have so many smiling faces throughout the week!


Morning Stories:
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano
Believe it or NOT my Brother has a Monsterby Kenn Nesbitt
You are (NOT) Small by Anna Wang

Bible Time:
This week the students have been hearing how God led his people through the Red Sea. Due to our field trip, Pastor Chris Ewings was not able to come in on his typical day. We are hoping that he will be able to teach the children later this week. The Bible passage this week is Psalm 50:15, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you." This Bible passage is also our song this week. The passage was put to an easy tune for the students to follow. The students have also been reviewing the song, I am Jesus Little Lamb which they will be singing in church.

Movement Time:
This week the students have been focusing specifically on how to skip. They have been breaking down the movement very slowly so that the students understand how their bodies should be moving. Once they were able to demonstrate a knowledge of what to do, they were able to move faster and faster throughout the week. The students are working on a lot of gross motor skills throughout the next few weeks. We are doing our best to encourage them to move their bodies as best they can. The students are all on different levels when it comes to their knowledge of movement. Music to move and dance to and activities that get them moving are a great way to keep their attention throughout the lesson.

Music Time:
The students have once again focused on different sounds. This week the students are focusing specifically on the drum. The students are able to use instruments this week to demonstrate their knowledge of a steady beat as well as guessing which instrument makes each sound. They have also been reviewing I am Jesus Little Lamb which they will be singing in church on November 15th. Each day, we still incorporate the previous music lessons (such as tempo). It is important to keep reminding them of the previous lessons to instill the knowledge long term.

Stacking based on size and color!

Small Group Time:
The students are focusing on shapes this week. They were able to work on naming the shapes as well as recognizing items throughout the classroom that are the same shape.
Monday: They did a shape walk throughout the classroom. Each student had a different bag to put their items in. On their bag they had a specific shape to hunt for. They went throughout the classroom searching for items that were the same shape as the one on their bag.
Tuesday: Due to our field trip to see Click Clack Moo, the students were not able to have small group.




Wednesday: They were able to take shapes to build. The students were also able to identify the shapes throughout the building process.
Thursday: The students were creating pictures with pre cut shapes. The students were able to make a picture of whatever they would like.
Friday: They were working with pattern blocks. They were given specific pictures to follow in order to create a picture.

Afternoon Story:
Franklin Fibs by Paulette Bourgeois

Afternoon Tables:
The sensory table this week was filled with water and foam tracks for the students to connect and build a road. They were free to choose from the sensory table, the activities listed below or snack.
Monday (Math): heart puzzles with dots and numbers to match up, linking cubes and pattern blocks.
Tuesday (Fine Motor): Tweezers with pie sorting game, foam beads with string.
Wednesday (Manipulatives): Link n logs, magnetic people with clothing.
Thursday (Art): Marble painting
Friday (Sensory): Floam and sensory bottles
The students were rescuing one another from falling down the hill.
Working together to fill the truck up!