October 12, 2018

Among the books we read and songs we sang are:

Hooray for Hats- A book that the children are beginning to enjoy listening to. It’s a book about friendship and how we could make a friend feel better, when they are sad.
Subway- favorite
Brown Bear- favorite
From Head to Toes

Songs:

ABC
Wheels on the Bus…
Mr. Sun
Where is Thumbkin?
Watermelon
Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
There are 7 days in a Week
What’s the weather?
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Muffin Man
Twinkle, twinkle little star

Highlights of the Week:

Colorful Clay:

The colors and flexibility of the clay promote curiosity and interests. This Air Dry Clay comes in a variety of colors. The plasticity of the clay provides a way for children to manipulate and examine its texture. The clay is ultra light and soft. It is flexible, malleable and colorful. If the clay is left to dry in the air for 24 hours, after being dried, it doesn't deform or crack. It will feel like the sponge!

Specialists: Spanish

Cooking with Diane:

Diane made with the children apple, pear with lime and orange dressing.

We went to buy our Class Pumpkin and also enjoy a neighborhood stroll. We saw big and little pumpkins. The teacher selected two big pumpkins and asked the children, “There are so many pumpkins, which one should we choose?”

Before lunch, we usually have a brief circle time. Today the teacher wrote and articulated the first letter of each child's name. This activity promotes recognition and identification of letters. They will erase their correspondent letter, wash hands and have lunch.

Leela

Nathaniel

Exploring the pumpkin!

We talked about the color, shape and texture.

Oliver cautiously touches and taps the pumpkin.

Leo: “Look, ghost!”

The children are painting a box for a particular project that will be displayed on our classroom wall.

The handprint activity is a tactile experience! As the paint is applied to their hand, they feel the sensation of the paint: cold, warm, smooth and for some children it tickled. They selected the color for their handprint. Once they are covered with paint, they gently stamp their hand down onto the paper and make an imprint of their hand. All hands are unique and different. The handprints will be displayed next to their self-portraits.

Painting Pumpkins!

The painting activity creates a different kind of surface for paint exploration. Orange and black colors were provided as choices to paint a small pumpkin with indented ridges running from the top to the bottom of the pumpkin. Some used their hands to continue covering the pumpkin with paint. Art engages children’s senses in open-ended play and supports the development of multisensory skills- participating in more than one sense at a time. Promoting sensory exploration and stimulation helps the children to understand the environment as they receive information through their five senses (smell, touch, hear, see, taste).

Painting:

Making colored sand!

We used ordinary sand and powder paint. The children shook and squeezed the Ziploc bag to mix them.

We made slime!! The students were amazed, curious and fascinated by the unusual texture. Some of the students did not want to explore it with their hands but only with their yes. They need to feel at ease before exploring it hands-on.

Today the children explored….

As the children explore different painting tools, they learn to maneuver their hand and fingers as they paint. They produce strokes, in a way that distinguishes them from one another.

The teacher was going to place a paper on the easel; however, she noticed how Leela was painting on the mirror with the paintbrush. This open-ended art activity is all about the process. The concept “Process Art” applies to young children because it’s how children learn, allows them to be themselves, make their own decision, and most importantly, create! Leela projected different strokes on the mirror. As she sees her reflection, she also sees the different strokes she has painted. She sat and stood up to paint. They learn what happens when they move their hands and arms sitting and standing.

Tissue Paper Collage Continues:

A two-step process, pasting and placing tissue paper on a white square canvas. The children become creative and imaginative as they put each square in the area of their choice.