Our Light Table

Some of the children made their own reindeers out of playdough and let them harden.  They painted them and we created a North Pole centre at the light table.  Here the reindeer are prancing about.

Instruments!!

We have 2 co-op students in from the University and Miss Victoria brought her violin to school to play some Christmas songs for the class.  The children have been playing along using the classroom instruments.  One of the children suggested doing a parade and the idea took off.  We brainstormed ideas of what we need to make a parade.  They suggested instuments, flags, signs and banners, music, hats and costumes. We have been busy for 2 days preparing for the big parade and we marched down the hallway in and out of classes singing and playing our instuments.

Toys!!

The children have been very busy making toys out of the boxes and craft supplies that some families sent in.  Thank-you so much!!!!  We made dolls, airplanes, bay blades, cars and much more!!  The children had to come up with a plan first of what they were going to make and how to make it.  They had to try to follow their plan and create their toy.  They had some great explanations about how the toy worked and what parts it consisted of:

Literacy Open House!!

Our Literacy Open House was a huge success!!  Thank you to all parents that took the time to come in and see your child in action!!!  We hope that you went home with lots of ideas of things that you can do to help your child at home with letter/ sound recognition, story retell and comprehension, the use of technology (smart board, computers), and a lot more.  We had 20 different centres set up around the room with many wonderful volunteers helping out and explaining the centres. 

Post Office!!

Our trip to the Post Office to mail our Santa letters inspired our own Post Office in the classroom.  The children made and painted their own mailbox and the mailcarriers are distributing them in their personal mailboxes. 

Creative!!

I was reading the story, "How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?" today and at the end of the story one of our friends made up a dinosaur song and we all started singing it. It was fun changing some of the words to a familiar song and creating a new song about dinosaurs.  Here it is...

To the tune of 5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate.

5 little dinosaurs sitting on a gate,
The first one said " oh my it's getting late!"
The second one said "there are pterodactyls in the air"
The third one said " but we don't care"
The fourth one said "let's run and run and run"
And the fifth on said " I'm ready for some fun"

Oooooooo went the meteors and out went the lights and the 5 little dinosaurs rolled out of sight!!!

Literacy Open House!!

COME SEE YOUR CHILD IN ACTION

This is just a reminder that the Literacy Open House is tomorrow.  All parents are still welcome to come.  It begins at 9:30am.  Please sign the book located in the front hallway and then come down to your child's room.  We are really looking forward to this and are hoping for a great turn-out.  Hope to see you tomorrow!! 

Please Label All Items!!!

Hats and mitts are coming in and some of the children have identical clothing.  Please make sure to label all clothing articles!!  When shopping for winter items, please try to keep in mind looking for items that allow your child to be independent  Some boots and mitts are very difficult to put on.  It is very important that your child be able to dress independently. 

Boats!!

Today the children made a boat at the block centre and they asked me if I had some boats to put out with some people. I did get some boats but some kids came up with the idea to make their own boats to put at the blocks.  This boy made a flying boat that can hold pictures too!!

We ended up with many creations and are now in need of more boxes.  Please save your cereal boxes etc. to bring to school.

Also if you have any odds and ends lying around that are of no use to you anymore , please send them to school and we will add it to our craft area.  (buttons, foam shapes, etc.)

Problem Solving!!!

We were introduced to the classroom Problem Solving Model this week:

First, What is the Problem?

Then, What Do I Know?

Next, What Can I Do?  

Last, Did it Work?

Milk Please!

We would like to thank Mrs. Wright for coming into our classroom and doing a Dairy Presentation.  We saw what cows eat and how cows are milked.  We learned about the kinds of foods with milk.  They are healthy foods!! 

Our Pizza Day!!

Our pizza lunch was a huge success!!  We are introducing the first, then, next and finally or last concept!!!  Continue to use these terms at home. 
At home connection:   Use first, then, next and finally.
1.  Ask your child what you do when you brush your teeth. 
2.  Ask your child what you do to get dressed in the morning.
3.  Ask your child what do we do before we go to bed.
4.  Ask your child what do we do when we get home from school. 


First,  we put the pizza sauce on.

Then, we put the cheese on.

Next, we add the ham.

Finally, we put it in the oven!!

We had a very healthy lunch!!!

Math and Drama!!

We have been discussing seriation and using the terms big, bigger, biggest, medium, small, smaller, smallest, long, longer, longest, and short, shorter, shortest.  We seriated bugs and learned how to measure them to seriate them from longest to shortest.  Continue to use these terms at home.

We also have been dramatizing a few fairy tales that use these terms as well.  Ask your child to tell you about Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. 

Below, the three billy goats crossed the bridge and was able to eat the grass. The Troll was sitting on the bridge. 

Math!!

Math terms the children have been exposed to lately are: more, most, less, least, equal or the same. 

At-home activity to extend this learning:

Add 2 or 3 clear plastic cups in the bath with scoops.  Ask your child make one cup have more water than the others.  Make the cups have an equal amount of water. etc. Try to have your child explain and use the terms!!!   

Oral Language Development

Monthly Teacher Tips to Improve Language and Literacy

Expose children to rare, unusual, technical words they don’t hear in everyday conversations. Explain and repeat these words in different situations to help children develop a full understanding of their meaning. Knowledge of these words helps children with later reading comprehension and gives them the background knowledge they will need in subjects like science, history, geography and math.

Tips

Daily Activities:

When cleaning up spilled liquids, use the word absorb to show children what cloths or paper towels do to liquids. Use the work repeatedly in other situations.

Pretend Play:

Plan pretend activities like a moon walk, where children can use rare words like astronauts, space shuttle, asteroids and gravity. Reinforce the meaning of the new words by reading related books and using the words in other appropriate situations.

Reading Books:

Read a science book about the human body. Introduce and explain words such as organs, abdomen and digestion. Then, relate each word to the children’s bodies. Repeat words in other situations.

On the Go…:

Instead of using everyday words, use rare words that mean the same thing. For example, instead of talking about a siren being loud, introduce more sophisticated words such as deafening or ear-splitting. Repeat new words often.

The Greater Essex County District School Board

Speech and Language Services

Source: The Hanen Center; 2008 Preschool Language and Literacy Calendar

Awards!!!!

To help your child develop a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem, we will be sending home certificates if your child has accomplished a specific skill.  Look for these certain awards to be coming home in the next few months:

1.  I CAN ZIP MY ZIPPER :  Many children have taken this certificate home already.  Keep pracitising at home.  You can also work on practising getting snowsuits on independently.  Use the terms:
first, we get our snowpants on,
then we get our boots on,
next we get our jacket on,
finally, we get our mitts and hats on.

2.  I CAN MAKE AN AB PATTERN:  We have been making many patterns in class.  To create an AB pattern you need 2 objects and you pattern them alternately.  At home, try to use objects around the house.  eg.  spoon, fork, spoon, fork. , big button, little button, big button, little button etc.  When your child has accomplished this easily, try a more difficult pattern.  eg.  AABB, AAABBB, AAB, ABB etc. You may start the pattern for your child and see if your child can continue the pattern.

3.  I CAN COUNT TO _________.  Practise rote counting. (counting out loud) and counting objects at home.  Games like snakes and ladders make it fun to count at home. 

4.  I CAN NAME ALL THE UPPER-CASE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET.  Keep practising at home.  Use the list of suggestions that was sent home. 

5.  I CAN NAME ALL THE LOWER-CASE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET.  Keep practising at home.  Use the list of suggestions that was sent home.

Is There A Doctor In The House!!!!

We have a new doctor centre in the room!!!!

Halloween Day!!

We had a very exciting day today!!!

We discussed how a pumpkin grow. One of our students donated an orange and a white pumpkin because his grandfather grows pumpkins. He told us that a white pumpkin is white because it is a different kind of seed. He also told our class that there are blue pumpkins too.

We danced with our pumpkin person!!

We cleaned out our pumpkins. Some of the words that were used to describe the inside of a pumpkin were gross, slippery, yucky, wet, and slimy!!

5 Little Pumpkins!!

Here is one song that we have been singing at school!!

5 Little Pumpkins!!

5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late"
The second one said "There are witches in the air"
The third one said, "But we don't care"
The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run"
And the fifth one said "I'm ready for some fun"

OOOOOO went the wind
And out went the lights
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!!!!!

Encourage your child to use the terms, "first, second, third, fourth and fifth" at home!!!

Look at what came to school!!!!

Snakes!!!

One of the students brought in a book about snakes and the interest grew. We compared snakes and seriated the sizes of the snake. We introduced the terms "big, bigger and biggest" during one of the circles. The children made snake homes and learned some interesting facts about snakes. We discussed about how they hibernate and what they eat. They lay their eggs and then leave the eggs to hatch on their own. Ask your child to tell you one thing about snakes!!

THE STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRING IN THEIR TOY SNAKES FROM HOME ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. PLEASE PUT YOUR CHILD'S NAME ON THEIR SNAKE. WE WILL GRAPH AND SORT THEM AT SCHOOL.

Graghing and Predicting!!

We have been making predicitions everyday this week about what they thought the sponge would grow into. The first day we put out a black sponge and the choices on the graph were "a pumpkin" or "a spider." When the children put their names under their predicitions on the graph, we had about half of the names on the pumpkin side and and half on the spider side.

We later discussed why some children choose the spider and some of the children suggested that it was because of the colour. We continued doing this for the rest of the week with different sponges... a pumpkin and a ghost. We tried to apply the colour clue in making our predictions for a few more days and the children became better at making their prediction.

Scarecrows!!

We made our own scarecrows in the class!!


!!

Language Development!!

We read the story "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything" written by Linda Williams and Illustrated by Megan Lloyd and the children enjoyed retelling it.  Ask your child to retell it at home.  Help your child by giving him/her clues.  Find these items at home to help retell the story:  shoes, pants shirt, gloves hat and a pumpkin.  Have fun


1.  Little old lady who was not afraid of anything
2.  Met some shoes.  They go CLOMP, CLOMP
3.  Met a pair of pants.  They go WIGGLE, WIGGLE
3.  Met a shirt.  It went SHAKE, SHAKE
4. Met 2 white gloves.  They went CLAP, CLAP
5.  Met a hat.  It went NOD, NOD
6.  Met a pumpkin head.  It went BOO, BOO
7.  The little old lady ran home and sat quietly and heard a KNOCK,KNOCK.  They tried to scare her but she wasn't afraid of anything.  She whispered into the pumpkin's ear and went to bed.  When she woke up in the morning and looked out her window, she saw a SCARECROW!

Help Us Help Your Child!!!!

We stress independence in the classroom to help the children develop self- confidence and accomplishment. If your child is unable to tie shoes, please send velcro shoes. When looking for snowsuits and boots, please choose styles that your child will be able to do independently. Please remember to pack lunches where your child is able to eat independently. This includes already peeling the oranges etc. at home. Please remember that there are several children in the classroom and it ensures that everyone is able to work independently.

Picture Re-takes!!

Picture re-takes are Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Library Books!!

Library books are due tomorrow. Please return last week's library book and you will get a new one this week!!

Spiders!!

The children were discussing spiders that we saw during our Fall walk and the topic of spiders really took off this week and the children were very excited!!

Retelling stories!!
Creating our own web and spiders!!

At the sand centre!

"My Space"

 To help your child develop a strong sense of identity and well-being, each child has been designated a space on the wall in the classroom for their personal use. This will allow for your child to recognize, talk and and express their strengths, accomplishments, and interests throughout the year. If you accumulate any pictures of your childs' accomplishment or if your child has their picture posted in the newspaper  etc., please have your child bring it to school to share it with the class and add to their "space".  Please check the backpacks today for a family newsletter!! 

Recognizing Upper and Lower Case Letters!!!!

Being able to recognize upper and lower case letters is a skill that is essential to future reading and writing success. Below are some suggestions to help your child at home to recognize letters.

1. Letters are made up of curvy and straight lines. Use materials such as straws, pipe cleaners, yarn and toothpicks to form letters.

2. Form letters using playdough. You can trace letters on a paper and your child can cover it up with play dough.

3. When reading a story look for a few letters in the story. We use a fly swatter with a hole cut out in the middle to find the letters in class.

4. Write the letters on index cards and look them over at night.

5. Post 5 or 6 letters around the house. Have your child go on a letter search. When they find the letter and can identify it, have your child put it on the fridge.

6. Make letters in "finger paint" ways. Use pudding, shaving cream, apple sauce. Say a letter and have your child make it.

7. Put magnets on the fridge and put in order and have your child say the alphabet

8. Fridge Phonics is a great toy!!!

9. Place 12 upper and lower case letters on the floor. Make your own or you may have some store bought letters. Play a matching game. Match the upper and lower case letter.

10. Using clothespins (available at the dollar store) write an uppercase letter on the clothespins and a lower case letter on an index card. Encourage your child the clip the clothespins on the matching card and name the letter.

11.  Visit PBSkids.org.  Click on games.  The featured topic right now is Letters.  There are numerous letter games that your child can play. 

12.  Scratch n' Sniff.  Use a new sensation to teach the letters.  Write letters with glue on paper, then sprinkle with Jell-o powder.  Makes a super scratch n' sniff when tracing over the letters. 

PLEASE NOTE:  It is very important to have your child say the letters as they find them or match them, not the adult. 

Working with Letters!!!

We have been practising making our names and letters in creative ways!! Keep practising at home!!!

With water and paint brushes on the chalkboards!!

With shaving cream!

With play dough!

With paint and a long fingernail!

New Light Table!

We have a new light table in our room!! Today we put some of the fall items that we collected yesterday on top. We discovered that if you looked through a magnifying glass the veins in the leaves really show up.

Our Fall Walk!!

Today we paired up with Miss Reive's class and we went on a fall walk around the school yard!! The children will be bringing home a bag full of fall things that they found today!!!

Before we went, we made predictions about what we would and would not see. We thought that we would see red, orange, blue, yellow, gold, brown and green leaves. We also predicted that we would see apples, acorns, squirrels and branches. We didn't think that we would see bears, ice, a lot of leaves on the trees, and coconuts.


This is what we found!!!!!

A pumpkin!!

A pine cone and nuts!!

Apples!!!

Leaves!!

A home for a squirrel??

We came back in and drew pictures of what we saw on our walk!! Ask your child to read the Colourful Fall poem that was sent home!!