December Sensory Tubs

Last week, we introduced the kids to the December sensory bins, and so far, they love them.  We have two tubs, meant for individual use, but sometimes extra little hands just can't resist!  The children are very good at sharing with their classmates.  :)

 

In each December sensory tub, we've added a base of red and green peppermint rice.  I found this idea at Growing a Jeweled Rose.  The rice is "flavored" with peppermint extract, and I only use food coloring and water to change its color.  So, if we have any hungry kiddos who want a sample, it's completely safe!

 



 

Included in both tubs are the following:

• red snowman cup and white spoon for scooping and pouring
• pinecone
• bow
• foam angel cutout
• plastic hollyberries on a stick
• bells
• gold and silver stars

In the top bin, you will notice a small nutcracker.  Sadly, he was dropped and beheaded, and is awaiting repair at Santa's Preschool Workshop.  He will be back next week, good as new!

 



Sensory tubs are very easy to put together at home.  This one (below), I put together for my daughter (5) and my son (7), who both still love to do sensory activities.  I found all of the items around the house and mixed in with our Christmas decorations.



 



 

My kids' sensory tub includes:

• small red mitten with red/white and green/white beaded candy canes
• white pitcher for pouring and a red spoon for scooping
• wooden teddy bear
• red wooden tree shape
• small snowman box with tiny gold instruments inside
• bell bracelet
• red and green straws

My kids wanted peppermint candy cane rice, so I dyed half red and left the other half plain white.  Personally, I think the red/green combination is much more vibrant, but I aim to please!

 

Please comment and post pictures if you try a sensory tub at home.  I'd love to see it!



Stoplight Behavior Chart

Meet the newest addition to our classroom:

 

Our Stoplight Behavior Chart!

 

 

The children were introduced to this behavior chart last week, and are responding well to it.  The meaning of the colors is similar to that of a real stoplight:

 

Green = Go; ready to learn

Yellow = Slow down; think about it; warning

Red = Stop; time out

 

Each morning, the kids start with their clip on Green.  (Each clip has a child's name on it, but for safety purposes, I turned the clips over, so that no names would show in the picture.)  If a child breaks a classroom rule (example: running in the classroom), we will give them a warning.  If the behavior persists, we will ask the child to move their clip up to yellow, and think about how they can change their behavior (example: walk, instead of run).  If the child still chooses to run after thinking about it, they will be asked to move their clip up to red, and sit in time out.

 

At the end of each day, your child will place a green, yellow or red dot on his/her behavior chart.  When your child has collected 10 green dots, he/she will earn a prize from the treasure box.  This will hopefully encourage the kids to have good behavior and to follow the 3 classroom rules.

 

Classroom Rules

1. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
2. Use walking feet.
3. Inside voices.

 

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.  Behavior charts are a new concept for us, and there will be some trial and error.  Our main goal is to help the children learn to follow rules, while also being able to have fun and enjoy their time in preschool.  Please talk with your child before school about keeping hands/feet to oneself, as well as using walking feet and inside voices.  Ask your child after school what color their clip landed on, and why (if it was yellow or red).

 

Thank you for your help in getting your kiddo ready for the world of "big school"!

Jj is for Jumping!

I loved watching the kids do this activity!

 

We worked together as a whole group to jump on the Jj.  Each child took a turn, while the others cheered him/her on!  I love it when they encourage each other without being prompted. 

 

First, the kids jumped on the uppercase J...

 

 

...then they jumped on the lowercase j!

 

 

While they jumped, they sounded out /j/, and when they finished, I asked them to name a Jj word.  Lots of kids said "jump", while others named words like "jaguar" or "jellybeans".  A couple of kids even knew some Jj names, like "Jerry" and "Julie"!

 

Next up is the letter Kk, which we will learn about this week.

 

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving!



Mmm, Pumpkin Pie!

Pumpkin pie...the traditional Thanksgiving dessert that most of us just can't do without!  Well, our pre-k kiddos got a little pre-Turkey Day taste of this sweet, delicious dessert.  We learned that pumpkin pie is made from real pumpkins, as well as spices like nutmeg, ginger and allspice.  But what did the kids want MORE of?  The whipped cream, of course!

 

They also had fun creating their own pretend slice of pumpkin pie for our art project. If you'd like to craft some more at home, they're easy peasy! Check it out...

 

You will need:

brown construction paper (1 piece will make many slices)

brown/tan tissue paper

cottonballs

small paper plates

glue and scissors

 

Directions:

Cut triangles out of the brown construction paper.  Mine were about 4" long, and about 3" across the top of the pie slice.  Glue your slice onto the plate.

 

 

Next, cut the tissue paper into small squares.  Place glue along the top of the pie slice.  Crumble a square of tissue paper, and stick it to the top of the slice.  Repeat across the top.  This will form the crust.

 

Now, depending on the size of your cottonballs, you may want to tear them in half.  Ours were large, and the kids only needed a small "dollop" of whipped cream.  Glue the whipped cream onto the middle of your pie slice.  And...(drumroll please)...

 

You have created a delicious-looking pumpkin pie, perfect for pretend play!

 

By the way, I heard some adorably cute quotes from kids today, as they were making their pumpkin pie crafts.  One girl said, "Making this craft is making me hungry for pumpkin pie!", while a boy said, "This looks so good, I could eat it right now!"  Aren't they so sweet and funny?!

 

We read the books:

 

and sang the song "Turkey Pokey".  Ask your kiddo to sing it for you!  "You put your right wing in, you put your right wing out..."

 

The kiddos completed their letter Jj activity as a group.  Look for that post at a later time this weekend.  I'll give you a hint: it involved lots of jumping!

 

I will also be posting about our new behavior chart, and the details that go along with it.  It's working well so far!

 

Happy Weekend!

Indian Corn

On Wednesday, pre-k learned about Indian corn.  This is not normally the kind of corn we eat.  We see it around Thanksgiving, and it makes a nice decoration because of its many colors.

 

We crafted our own Indian corn using a corn pattern, dot markers and a paper bag.  I decided to cut out the corn and husk shapes, so that the kids could focus on where to place the different colors.  I love how each child used the same 4 colors (red, blue, purple, brown), yet each one created a completely unique ear of corn!

 

 

We read the books:

 

We also created patterns with the geoblocks again, and the children have been busily baking Thankgiving playdough cookies and cupcakes.  :)

 

For math, we played a game called Turkey Tracks.  The kids worked in pairs and were given a turkey mat with numbers 1-10.  They rolled the die, then covered that same number on their mat...with candy corn!  Yes, we used candy corn as our markers, and then the children got to eat some as a treat for a job well done.  I normally don't like to give candy as a reward, but we're in the midst of the holiday season.  So let's step outside of the preschool box and have a little fun!

 

See you for our next lesson...pumpkin pie!  :)



Ii is for Ice

Last week + Monday, we studied the letter Ii.  This letter is tricky for kids in terms of words beginning with long /i/ and short /i/.  There just aren't that many of them in their vocabularies yet!

 

One that they definitely know, however, is ice.  First, the kids traced Ii with their pointer finger.  Then they put on a glove, grabbed a piece of ice, and traced Ii again.

 

 

They learned the sign for Ii (pinkie finger straight up, all others down).  We also learned a little chant:

 

Ii says (short) i, i, igloo

Ii says (long) i, i, ice cream

 

The chant helps them remember which sound goes with which words.  The English language can be tough for kids!

 

Next up - Jj.  This one should be easier, since it only makes one sound, and starts a word that most preschoolers love to do - jump!

 



Turkeys: Gobble Gobble!

It's almost Turkey Time!

On Monday, we continued our Thanksgiving study with stories, actvities and a craft about turkeys.

 

  The kids made gobble-tastic turkeys by coloring the beak orange and wattle red on a turkey pattern.  Then I painted 4 of their fingers - red, blue, green and purple, and we stamped them in an arc shape on their paper.  They glued the turkey body on, and added 2 legs.  Aren't they the cutest?!

 

 

We read the books:

 

 

and we talked about all the food that we eat on Thanksgiving Day.  Many people (me included) end up napping after we've gotten so full!

 

For literacy, we wrapped up our study of Ii, and that will be covered on the next post.

 

In writing, the kids traced a turkey.  They could use one or more colors, and I'm happy with the progress they're making!  Tracing activities help to strengthen the fine motor muscles used in writing.  We mostly use markers for tracing, because they are chunkier than pencils and easier to grip for preschoolers. 

 

For math, the kids used patterns and geoblocks to make corn and turkeys.  (Sorry I didn't get a picture!)  They did a great job of placing the different shapes where they were supposed to go, and one boy even made his own pattern - a Transformer!  Now that's thinking outside the box!

 

In music and movement, we learned a new song - The Turkey Pokey!  The tune is to Hokey Pokey, and we use wings, beaks, turkey toes and tail feathers.  Ask your kiddo to sing it for you. 

 

Gobble Gobble!