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.