This week the Lemurs seem to have aligned with the rhythm of the Pre-K schedule. Everyone knows what to do and when. The children get up to their jobs without reminders and are looking like real Pre-K pros! We have even received several compliments from our Specials teachers 🙂 Mrs. Kirsh, Mrs. Swanson and I are very proud.
In your Red Friday Folder you will find a permission slip and information for our upcoming field trip to the Spring Valley Heritage Farm. Please fill out the form and return to school. We are looking for 7 parents/family members to come as chaperones. If you are interested in coming, please mark the box on the permission slip. If you cannot make this field trip, there will be another opportunity in May to chaperone our other field trip. I will make sure that anybody who wants to come on a trip will have a chance!
Small Group Treehouse Activities for This Week:
Monday
Reading – ABC Memory Match up Game: We played a fun game that was a combination memory game and lowercase/uppercase letter match up game. The children liked learning tricks to help them remember where certain letters were.
Math – Coin Comparisons – Today was an introduction to coin study that will continue throughout the year. We looked closely at different coinds, sorted them, and talked about their differences. Then we pretended to buy some items with our coins.
Science – Breathing Plants – Mrs. Kirsh further explored the process of photosynthesis with students. She explained the reciprocal relationship people have with plants. They take in the carbon dioxide we breath out and in return, give us the oxygen we need! They did an experiment by putting some leaves in warm water and seeing the air bubbles come from the leaves. We also watched an episode of Magic School Bus about photosynthesis based on the book The Magic School Bus Gets Planted.
Tuesday
Reading – Guided Reading : Mrs. Kirsh sat with each student in her group and began the process to determine what level is the best to begin with. Most students begin at Level aa (early emergent reader). While waiting, the rest of her group listened to Dr. Jean’s Totally Reading CD.
Math – 10 Apples Up On Top: Mrs. Swanson read the great Dr. Seuss book, 10 Apples Up On Top. We kept track of how many apples the animals had on their heads with felt numbers on the felt board. Then students practiced writing numbers 1 – 10 on paper apples. They then glued the apples onto a little paper versions of themselves. You can see these hanging in our classroom!
Science/Art – Apple Cycle Page: We learned about another cycle..the apple cycle! We watched a video and looked at this book, How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro. We then created the first page for our cycle books, “The Apple Cycle”. We will create many cycle pages throughout the year (about 10) and collect them into a binder to take home at the end of the year.
Wednesday
Reading – Reader’s Theater: Johnny Appleseed – I told the children the story of Johnny Appleseed, a peaceful apple-loving pioneer who planted apple trees around the Midwest. Then the children acted out the story with costumes. I think we have a number of theater-loving students in the Lemur class this year! They love getting into a role 🙂
Math – Body Height Comparisons – Mrs. Swanson read the story of the Three Bears and talked about how everything in the story came in different sizes. She then measured each student on the measuring tape on our doorway. She talked about how it is important to measure from the very beginning of a measuring tape. We will measure students again on the last day of school to see how much they grow this school year.
Science/Art – Leaf Man: Mrs. Kirsh read her group the beautifully illustrated book, Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. The pictures are created with real leaves, arranged to resemble a person, or an animal, or a scene. Students then used paper leaves (maple, oak, red bud, etc.) to make their own arranged picture. You can see these pictures hanging in our classroom.
Thursday
Reading/Writing – Whiteboard Letters: We continued working on letter formation for vowels a, e, i, o u
Fine Motor – Play Doh Apple Pies: In preparation for making apple turnovers on Friday, students made a pretend version of apple pie with cinnamon-scented play doh. We used wooden blocks as apple slices. Students learned how to seal the top crust and poke some steam holes in the top. We know from the water cycle that the water in the apples will turn into steam once warmed up in the oven!
Game Day – No Speed Limit – Mrs. Kirsh taught her group a domino game called “No Speed Limit.” Pictures are used instead of dots in this fun, fast paced game.
Friday
Science – Baking apple Turnovers: We all worked together today with just one treehouse. Students mixed up their own bowl of chopped apples, applesauce, sugar, and cinnamon. They they poured the mixture onto a rectangle of rolled out pasty dough. They folded the dough over, sealed it shut with a fork, and poked some holes for the steam to escape! After we cooked them our classroom smelled so good!
