This is a blog for the parents and families of the students in my pre-K classroom at Honeybunch Kids Preschool. This blog provides family members with information about what is happening in our classroom and in their children's education.
Canoe Floating Chart – After making the foam canoes but before floating them we will make a chart to show how many students think that their canoes will sink, and how many think they will float.
Native American Addition Sheets
Science
Foam Canoe – Each student will make a canoe using foam and yarn. Once we have made our canoes we will see if they sink or float.
Language Arts
The Letter “N” – Our letter this week is “N”. We will be practicing writing this letter as well as recognizing and thinking of words that begin with the letter “N”.
Native American Vocabulary – Each student will his or her own Native American vocabulary sheet where they will write in the new Native American vocabulary words that we learn
Social Studies
Teepee – We will discuss the way Native Americans lived and build our own miniature teepees.
Music
10 Little Indians
Art
Dream Catcher – Students will make his or her very own dream catcher to take home with them.
Here are the kids shopping in our store with money. There were many items to purchase each costing either a quarter, dime, nickle, or penny. Students had to figure out what items they could buy with the money they had and go to Ms. Cindy for checkout. On Tuesday we did our penny cleaning experiment using water, soda, and vinegar to determine what agent will clean the pennies best.
United States Coins Sequencing Cards – Students will decorate and cut out their cards and then pair up with a partner and work together to put the cards in order of value.
Counting Coins Activity Book – Students will learn the value of the coins as well as how to tally up total values in order to get the sum of various coins.
Open Shop – We will have a shop set up in class with a cash register and all. Students will use real coins to purchase items in the shop by figuring out how to create the correct amount of money with they coins they have. When we are all finish students will get to keep the items that they bought.
Social Studies
Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin – Who is on the penny? That’s right, Abe Lincoln. We will be making a log cabin with a picture of Abe in the window via penny.
Language Arts
Carl Goes Shopping by Alexandra Day
Arthur's Pet Business by Marc Brown
A Quarter From The Tooth Fairy by Caren Holtzman
Science
Vinegar Pennies – There are so many old and ugly pennies, but we want to make them shinny like new. We will soak our pennies in vinegar, soda, and water to see which one is the best cleaning agent. Before we get started we will make a graph of predictions for the best cleaning agent.
Art
United States Coins Coloring Sheet – Students will color a page for each coin as we discuss the coins value.
We made Oobleck. Unfortunately I could not take pictures of the kids making the Oobleck because my hands were covered in green slime, but I got a picture of the end result after we were all cleaned up.
One of the best known names in a children's library is Dr. Seuss, so we dedicate this week to him.
Dr. Seuss
Math
Cat In The Hat connect the dots
Dr. Seuss Character addition sheet
Science
Oobleck – We will make Oobleck and students will get hands on experience with the elements of liquids and solids
Language Arts
“L” – our letter of the week is “L”. We will discuss the letter “L”, create a list of words that start with the letter “L”, and practice writing the letter “L”
We will read several Dr. Seuss books and complete a coordinating lesson
Cat in the Hat - Rhyming
Yurtle the Turtle – Social Studies
And to Think That I saw it on Mulberry Street
Bartholomew and the Oobleck – science
The Butter Battle Book – Social Studies
Social Studies
After reading the Butter Battle Book, we will talk about the social issues that occurred in the story and how they could have better been handled. We will think of real life examples that children experience to relate to the story.
After reading Yurtle the Turtle, a story about a king turtle, the class will discuss hierarchies and how they work, as well as how our democratic system works in the United States.
Music
Art
Cat in the Hat – Each student will make his or her very own Cat in the Hat hat.
Corn Addition Worksheet – Using corn shapes as manipulatives, students will add the corn and write the numbers.
Thanksgiving Icon Patterns – We will use thanksgiving icons to create and add on to patterns in our classroom.
Language Arts
I Am Thankful Book – We will make a class book full of things each student is thankful for. The book will be put together and placed in our library for students to read during reading time.
Books:
A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson
Over the River and Through the Woods illustrated by
John Gurney
Sometimes It’s Turkey---Sometimes It’s Feathers by
Lorna Balian
Arthur’s Thanksgiving by Marc Brown
Farmer Goff and His Turkey Sam by Brian Schattell
Best Thanksgiving Book by Patricia Whitehead
Oh, What A Thanksgiving by Steven Kroll
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
Social Studies
Online Interactive First Thanksgiving – We will take a look into the journey the pilgrims took on the Mayflower as well as their daily life once they arrived to Plimoth Colony, and the first Thanksgiving Feast on the Scholastic website. http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/
Mayflower Voyage Map – We will make a large map to show the intended route and the actual rout the Mayflower took to get from England to Plimoth.
First Thanksgiving Reenactment – students dress up as pilgrims and Native Americans to sit down and eat the first Thanksgiving dinner together. Students will have on bonnets, pilgrim hats, and Native American headbands and vests.
Music
10 Little Indians
Art
Handprint Turkey – we will make turkeys out of our handprints, colors, papers, and glue.
Native American Girl Puzzle – Students will each get their own Native American girl to color and cut out to make a puzzle that will last them for days of fun during your holiday vacation.
Indian Headbands – Each student will make an Indian headband with feathers and construction paper.
I am Thankful Quilt – Each student will make a square that says why he or she are thankful with an illustration. We will then paste all the squares together to make a large class quilt to display on out bulletin board.
On Wednesday we painted this jungle scene in French class to help turn our classroom into a jungle. And today we had a jungle safari! Students went around with their binoculars we made in class spotting as many jungle animals as they could.
Jungle Animals Addition – Students will count and add jungle animals and practice writing the numbers by tracing.
Language Arts
The Letter “J” – Students will practice writing the letter “J”
“One Day in the Jungle” by Colin West
Science
Jungle Safari – We will be going on a jungle safari in our own classroom. Each student will get a pair of binoculars (two toilet paper rolls) to help us search for the hidden animals in our jungle classroom. We will talk about the different animals that live in the jungle, where they live, and what their diet is.
Art
Rain Sticks – make the sounds of the jungle come alive with some homemade rain sticks. Students will help make and decorate their very own jungle rain stick out of a paper towel holder
Jungle animal coloring pages
Music
Do You Know the Jungle Animals (muffin man tune)
Do you know the slimy snake, the slimy snake, the slimy snake
Oh do you know the slimy snake that lives deep in the jungle?
Do you know the chimpanzee, the chimpanzee, the chimpanzee
Oh do you know the chimpanzee that lives deep in the jungle?
Do you know the wildebeest, the wildebeest, the wildebeest
Oh do you know the wildebeest that lives deep in the jungle?
Do you know the crocodile, the crocodile, the crocodile
Oh do you know the crocodile that lives deep in the jungle?
Do you know the mountain lion, the mountain lion, the mountain lion?
Oh do you know the mountain lion that lives deep in the jungle?
Students should have a better understand of left and right now after completing this fun insect left and right sheet today in class. Most students were able to do all on their own with a teacher reading the directions out loud.
Insect left and right coloring page – Students will practice left and right by colorinv the left insect or the right insect on the paper.
Insect leg count – All insects have 6 legs. We will count many animals’ legs including insect to see how many legs they have.
Insect adding – Students will use insect manipulatives to count and add.
Science
Insect classification game –What makes an insect and insect? Where do insects live? What do insects eat? All of this and more will be covered in our game.
Heart Counting Sheet – Students count the number of hearts and write the number next to the hearts.
Heart patterns – We will be making patterns using hearts and
Science
Find Your Heart Quick Activity - Cut small pieces of paper into heart shapes and write “My Heart” on each shape. Make one for each child. Ask children if they know where their hearts are located in their bodies. Have them point to the spot. Help children secure the shapes on their chests with safety pins or tape to mark the spot where their hearts are located.
Listen to your heart - We will use a stethoscope to listen to each others hearts at rest. Then we will do some quick cardiovascular activities and listen to how our heart beat has changed.
Take a Look Inside – Each student will receive a print out of the body showing hearts, veins, arteries, and lungs. We will discuss what each of these are and what the do in our body to help us everyday.
Art
Body Model – each student will get a piece of paper with an outline of a body. Students will draw in the eyes, mouth, and nose. Then each student will glue a heart to the area they think the heart is located. We will decorate the body with hair and clothes.
Music
My heart is inside me.
Here, here, here. (medium voice, touch chest)
It beats very quietly.
Hear, hear, hear. (soft voice, touch ears)
My heart keeps me happy.
Cheer, cheer, cheer! (loud voice, arms up and out)
Language Arts
The Magic School Bus : Inside the Human Body / by Joanna Cole
The Magic School Bus : Has a Heart / by Joanna Cole
The beans we started growing yesterday. I hung them in the window to get plenty of sunlight. I sure hope they all grow.This is the graph we made using student's predictions on whether or not their seeds will grow. These are the flowers we are dyeing green with colored water. This helps students understand how plants get their nutrients and water. This photo was taken only an hour after adding the green food coloring to the water and already you can see changes.
Baggie Garden Graph - When doing the “Baggie Garden” activity, graph how many children think their seed will grow and how many think it will not. Graph their prediction and their results.
Garden Addition - We will use fruits and vegetables as manipulative for counting and adding.
Garden counting worksheets
Science
Flowers Food - Put a white carnation in a cup of colored water (darker color the better) and let your kids see how flowers drink water (the flower will take get its color changed as it takes in the water)
Baggie Garden - Wet a paper towel, and drop it along with six white beans into a Ziploc bag. Seal the baggie (leaving air in the bag) and put it in your window. Your children will love watching the beans grow.
Art
Flower Footprint – using finger paints we will take each child’s foot print and let them add the stem and leaves as well as any other decorations to make their footprint into a flower.
Paper Plate Sunflower - Give each student a paper plate. Have students attach yellow construction paper petals around the paper plate. They can then add sunflower seeds or oatmeal to the seed of the flower.
Glitter “G” – use Glue and Glitter to decorate a letter “G”
Language Arts
The letter “G” - We will be working all week with the letter “G”. “G” sounds, words that begin with “G”, and practice writing the letter “G”.
Grape coloring sheet with upper-case and lower-case “G”
Books
Busy in the garden / poems by George Shannon ; pictures by Sam Williams.
Whose garden is it? / Mary Ann Hoberman ; illustrated by Jane Dyer.
In my garden : a counting book ; by Ward Schumaker.
Toot & Puddle : how does your garden grow? / based on the teleplay by Kim Segal ; adapted by Laura F. Marsh.
This is a picture of one student's Barn Yard Animals book that the kids finally completed today.This is one of the frog puppets we made out of paper bags on Tuesday.
Barnyard addition worksheet - We will be counting and adding different farm animals.
Shapes on the farm - How many shapes can we find on the farm? There are circles, squares, rectangles and triangles everywhere.
Science
Farm animals and their babies – we will discuss farm animals and the proper names given to their babies.
Language Arts
Barn Yard Animals class book (French and English) – Each student will create his or her own book of animals found on the farm. They will color and write the name of the animal on each page.
Music
“There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”
“Old Mac Donald Had a Farm”
“The Farmer in the Dell”
“Ba-ba Black Sheep”
Art
Frog Puppet – students will make a frog puppet using paper bags.
Static electricity with balloons - Rub a balloon on your head, what happens? It is static electricity!
Balloon fun - Take two balloons and tie a string to each. Charge each balloon and hold them by the string. What happens? The balloons will not come together because they are both negatively charged. What happens when we only charge one balloon? Why do the balloons come together so easily?
Paper and plastic - Rub a sheet of plastic on a piece of paper and try to separate them.
Language Arts
“Thomas Edison: Inventor With a Lot of Bright Ideas” by Mike Venezia
“The Lightbulb” by Joseph Wallace
“Who Was Thomas Elva Edison?” by Margaret Frith
Art
Construction paper lampshade
Electricity mobile using appliances found in magazines
We measured how many of our feet will fit in a dinosaur foot yesterday.Today we made dinosaur finger puppets with both plant and meat eating dinosaurs and put on a puppet show for the toddlers.
Measuring dinosaur feet – How many of my feet fit in a dinosaur foot is probably a reasonable question thought by kids. In class we will find out by measuring a giant dinosaur foot using our feet.
Language Arts
“Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones” by Byron Barton
“How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?” by Jane Yolen
“Dinosaur Roar” by Paul Stickland
“Dinosaur Bones” by Bob Barner on DVD
“Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp” by Carol Diggery Shields
Science
Dinosaur fossils - After reading “Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones” by Byron Barton we will talk about what fossils are and make our own dinosaur fossils with raw macaroni.
The fuzzy little caterpillar went up into a tree, spun his cocoon and then he went to sleep. While he was sleeping he dreamt that he could fly, when he woke up (sigh) he was a butterfly.
Science
Caterpillar Life Cycle Egg: hand clutched tight like a fist Caterpillar: index finger extended, scrunched, extended, scrunched,.... Chrysalis: index finger of one hand wrapped by other hand (like a hotdog) Butterfly: with thumbs interlocked, fingers wiggle and do flying motion
Math
Caterpillar Measuring Using Frank Schaffer's Caterpillar Measuring Activity, the child will go around the room measuring various things (your hand, pencil, crayon, the door, the table, etc.).
Bigger and Smaller Each student will get a caterpillar of a various size. Students must work together to put them in order from smallest to largest.
“Very Hungry Caterpillar” Graph Students will put their name on a piece of paper and put it above their favorite food that the caterpillar ate in the story “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” We will discuss what food has the most and the least.
Language Arts
Books “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carl “Houdini the Amazing Caterpillar” by Janet Pederson “The Crunching Munching Caterpillar” by Sheridan Cain
Beginning Sounds Use the patterns of the foods above. Make cards with the beginning letters (a, p, p, s, o, c, i, p, s, s, l, s, c, w) of the foods. Have students match. To make this more difficult, place your food patterns in a pocket chart, say a sound, and then pick a student to come up and take one food item that matches the given sound!
Each student made a unique butterfly using his or her hand prints yesterday. These are our tissue paper butterflies that we made in French class today!
Handprint butterfly – Students will use cut outs of their hands to make their very own butterfly.
SCIENCE
Butterfly life cycle book – Each student will create his or her butterfly lifecycle group as we discuss the different stages of a butterfly’s life.
Making Colors – Butterflies are so colorful, how can we replicate these colors? We will be learning through hands on experimenting how to make colors our of primary colors.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Butterfly coloring listening game – A worksheet where students have to listen in order to know what color to make each butterfly.
Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Book of “B” – As a class we will make a book of all things “B” to put in our class library.
MATH
Very Hungry Caterpillar days of the week – students will each make his or her own book of the days of the week, writing each day out. The book will feature art work from Eric Carle’s book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
MUSIC
Butterfly, Butterfly
(to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Butterfly, Butterfly, Fly Away, You were a caterpillar yesterday Butterfly, Butterfly You never stay, Always flying to a new day.
