Thursday, April 7, 2016

We had a great Thursday in preschool!

Our friends are excited to be learning how to use our new listening/reading center.  Each friend can enjoy listening to/reading a book on CD.  We are learning the proper way to read a book:  front to back, and left to right.  We are beginning to understand that letters make words, and words make a story. We are also improving our listening skills...we have to wait for the special sound that tells us when to turn the page! If a friend is waiting for a turn, he/she places his/her nametag on the table showing who is next!

Korrinne and Keller worked together to make a standing rectangle!

 

While Connor improved his hand/eye coordination making this awesome creation!

How fast can your car go down each ramp?

Sophia and Ben enjoyed a little time coloring this morning!

While others were enjoying free choice time...some friends found out "How Many FLOWERS Tall Are You?

Once measured he/she found the correct number, for how many flowers tall he/she measured and wrote his/her name on our chart/graph.  The ability to compare and measure, using non-standard forms of measurement, is an early math skill!

With just one friend left to be measured, we all agreed that 9 has the most friends and 10 has the least.  We figured this out just by looking at the graph, 9 has more because it is bigger/taller!

 A little chilly outside this morning, as we enjoyed our large motor time!

Wiggle worm was still here to welcome the start of baseball season!!!  If a friend picked a number on a baseball, that friend said the number aloud.  Then I gave the class an activity to complete that number of times...

Spin around 6 times (we were only a little bit dizzy)!

 If a wiggle worm was picked...

 WIGGLE, WIGGLE, WIGGLE...and FREEZE! A great way to practice self regulation, having to stop and freeze when having so much fun wiggling!

 Mrs. Mudd brought 5 different balls from home!  We noticed right away that they were all different sizes and colors.  One even had holes in it!  We passed some of them around and realized some were light, like a balloon, and others were heavy, like a rock.

Then, a question was presented to our friends..."Which ball will hit the ground first when dropped?"  

 

So, each friend made a documented prediction...

 We tested our predictions will different balls.  After each friend dropped 2 balls, Mrs. Mudd dropped the same 2 balls to see if being taller made a difference!

We quickly discovered that every ball, big or small, pink or swirled, light or heavy, or even those with holes, ALL hit the ground at the same time! We learned this happens because of gravity.  Gravity makes things hit the ground when dropped instead of floating in to the air.

Time for small groups (centers)!

We "picked a rabbit, any rabbit".  Each friend took a turn choosing a rabbit, turned it over to reveal a number, and said the number aloud.  Then, Mrs. Mudd gave the group an activity to complete that number of times.

We improved our small motor control and patterning skills as we strung beads on to pipe cleaners.

We strengthened the finger, wrist, and hand muscles and improved shape recognition as we rolled playdoh with our hands and then formed different shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, and diamond) with the playdoh.

We improved our rhyming and spatial reasoning skills as we made little puzzles with words/pictures that rhyme!

And...it was much warmer for round 2 of large motor time outside!

Thomas returned the favorite book bag today!  He shared with us "Harvest".  We enjoyed this informative book that told us all about where different foods are grown and how they are harvested! Thank you for sharing this book with us Thomas.

During Jesus Time today we learned more about Good Friday, a Mad, Bad, Sad, Glad Day!  Jesus' enemies were MAD at him.  But remember: it was not just their fault He suffered. He died for the sins of the whole world! The soldiers were BAD to Jesus. But remember: Jesus took the punishment for the bad things we do too, so that we can have forgiveness.  Jesus' friends and family were SAD. But remember: we can be happy knowing that He did this because He loves us and wants to save us.  We can be GLAD because Jesus is the winner over sin and death.  And remember: because of Jesus, we will live someday with Him in heaven!