Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Welcome/Families

Preparation: Make lesson books. This involves cutting 120 sheets of paper, their construction paper covers, punching holes and tying them with yarn.

Letter - Review: This was our first day of a new semester! Most of the faces were familiar, but we do have some new friends. Welcome! We looked at letter cards A-M, called out the letter and it's sound and signed the letter with our fingers.

Number - Review 1-10: Fun times lay ahead as we leap into double digit numbers! Today we made a sticker sheet representing 1-10. I need to see how well everyone can count and represent the value of numbers. One little one wanted to make scenes with the stickers. I gently re-directed and moved the scene down to the 10 box from the space for 6. The stickers are tiny, and one of my favorite things to use for fine motor skills. Kids like them too!

sticker sheet

Circle Time - Room and Building tour: Circle Time on the first day is really about getting to know one another. We sang our song. This kids picked the actions. I won't be able to do this very often. With 8-12 choices the song gets long. They were dogs chasing their tails five times and spun twice. It looks like another semester of spinning! I read: Silly Animal ABCs, Ten Little Bunnies and The Family Book. We talked about the supplies in our room. There are some things we cannot use. There are other items we can use, but only one at a time. I usually have them so engaged it is not a concern, but I still want them to be familiar with their surroundings. Then it was time to venture out of our room. We find a buddy. We have quiet, walking feet. We stick together. First stop - the bathroom. This is important. They can leave the class whenever they want, but I need to know where they are going, and they do too. Next stop - the big hall where all the mommies are. This is important too, knowing where your mother is. Next we found - the kitchen. Now we know where we're going when we cook in class. Last - how to get outside. Again, important.

Music and Movement: We were outside and played Red Light, Green Light. Everyone got a turn, but just one, since we were COLD. (I'm so grateful I had a helper to usher the freezing ones indoors while I finished the game.) Red Light, Green Light was fun! Listening and communication skills were practiced. Someone started using Yellow Light too. We play without rules really. No, "You moved a fraction of an inch and have to go back to start." I let the kids call the shots as much as possible. They are happy with eventual stopping and knowing that everyone will have a turn. It's how they like to play - without too many rules.

Craft - Lesson Book and Family Portraits: The lesson books stay with me until the end of the semester. They will write letters and numbers inside and draw pictures. Today they wrote their name on the front and decorated it. They drew pictures of their families. In The Family Book there is a page that says, "Some families look like their pets." This became a theme, to include pets in the family portrait. Some children drew only their pet. One drawing with a sister's arm in a cast prompted another child to draw a sister's accident on a trampoline, that also resulted in a broken arm. Although they may not be as accurate as some may hope, I loved them all. Everyone expressed themselves beautifully.

families

Play Time - Animals: I brought my basket of Anamalz and some silks to make play scenes. I have all but the donkey, plus a few they don't make anymore, so there was plenty of play!

play scene

Could not resist Anna playing with the "big kids."

Enjoy your family this week!

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