Mrs. Samuel's Fantastic Fish ~

Fish Tales 1/17 ~ 1/20

2012-01-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

Sorting items into those with iron and those that do not contain iron using a magnet was a popular center time activity.

Completing puzzles, building with blocks and fireman, and using hats in dress-up are just some of the ways we reinforce fire safety and our visit to the fire station.

Drawing self-portraits on black/negro paper was a center time activity. The children used construction paper crayons. They appear as their real color no matter what color the children draw upon.

This boy is removing the golf tees from the styrofoam square. We teach the children the importance of cleaning up and getting a center ready for the next student.

Reading from the illustrations of a book continues to be a popular pre-reading activity in Alpha.

This mom was our Mystery Reader on Thursday. She read Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming. This is a delightful story about animals that hibernate!

Some of the other books that we read this week are:

Six Creepy Sheep by Judith Enderle

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

My Pop-Pop and Me by Irene Smalls

Down By The Station by Will Hillenbrand

The Legend of Sookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano

The Little Train by Lois Lenski

Our theme for exploring on Friday 1/20 was transportation.

The children decorated paper plates to act as their steering wheels. They pretended to be boat captains, pilots, firefighters, and bus drivers while sitting in chairs on the rug.

We created Shorecrest Driver's Licenses.

The children donned cardboard box cars that had previously been created and "drove" their vehicles around the campus. Then they passed the drive thru and picked up snack of popcorn and a juice box.

They ate their snack while watching a slide show of themselves in the exploratorium.

Dates to Remember:
January 27 - Grandparents Day - Thanks for returning the forms, if you have not done so please return early this week.

February 3 Shorecrest Gala ~ "80's Prom Night" - New Athletic Center 6:30 - For more information, the web site for this social & fundraising event is posted here and on ebytes http://gala.shorecrest.org

February 14 Valentine's Day Party ~ Exploring schedule - Playground 9:00 - Party 10:00 We will need parents to help with the party and read Valentine's to the children.

February 15 - RELAY FOR LIFE lunch - Information went home about this special day. The children may eat a hot dog lunch or bring one from home. Sage will not be serving lunch on this day. Your donations to Relay for Life are totally optional.

February 29 Class Pictures & Field Trip to the Coast Guard Air Station at the Clearwater/St. Pete airport. Please email or write us a note if you would like to volunteer for this field trip. We will leave school at approximately 9:30.
March 9 - Spring Break Party - Exploring Schedule - 9:00 playground - 10:00 party

Fish Tales 1/9 ~ 1/13

2012-01-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

We began the week by walking to theatre to listen to Marianne Berkes speak and read her book, In The Ocean, In the Coral Reef! It was so wonderful to listen to this dynamic author!!

The children created vehicles by gluing shapes together! They will soon adorn our classroom bulletin board. Come in and take a look!!

Vehicles. vehicles everywhere!

On the land, on the sea, and in the air!!

Painting snowmen at the easel provided opportunities for discussion about the seasons and using small, medium, and large circles!!

We saw so many wonderful aspects of a firefighter's job on our visit to the main fire station on Wednesday! We began by watching the ABC's of fire safety video.

We walked through the kitchen and the weight room. We learned that the firefighters work for a 24 hour shift then are off for 48 hours. A firefighter needs to be strong to do their jobs. They exercise everyday!

We saw their classroom and heard the very large bell.

We experienced so much, yet our main goal for this field trip is for the children to see the firefighters in their complete uniform with mask and oxygen tank. We want them to realize that in the event they are in a real fire, these firefighters are there to help them, although they do look and sound a little scary.

On Thursday, Mrs. Smay read, Where's Walrus? by Steven Savage

Some of the other books that we read this week are:

Away We Go by Rebecca Dotlich

I am a Garbage Truck by Ace Landers

On the Moon by Anna Milbourne

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

Our themes for exploring on Friday were circus, winter, and firefighter!!

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

We sang for our neighbors at Winston Park Condos on 12/14!!

It was a joy to greet the children this week and get back into our daily routine!!

At center time, we play concentration which incorporates visual memory skills, as well as, following directions and taking turns. We talked about pairs being two of an item.

Transferring and sorting items develops eye hand coordination and visual discrimination.

Painting with dry tempera cakes and water was an art activity this week.

Our mystery reader read The Mitten Tree by Candace Christainsen in the library on Thursday.

This is a delightful story of an older women knitting mittens for children and leaving them on a tree where they wait for the school bus. In turn, the children leave a basket of yarn for the lady on her front steps!

At center time, we looked at mittens and gloves. Then we we created a pair of paper mittens by cutting them out.

The children decorated the mittens by adding dots of paint to one mitten and pressing the pair together.

Voila, they created a symmetrical pair of mittens!!

The children decorated banner paper by "driving" fire trucks into red paint and then onto the paper. The teachers will use this paper to create a fire truck on the exploratorium bulletin board.

On Friday morning, Ms. Fenech read The Mitten by Jan Brett.

Ask your child to tell you some of the animal that squeezed into the mitten!

Other books that we read this week included:

The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler

Blizzard by Eric Charlesworth

We have magnet blocks out for the children to build with. This child made a connection to the lesson where we created a star by cutting out a diamond and then cutting the diamond in half to make two triangles and then a star. He put the triangles together to create a diamond!!

We are also talking about transportation in class!!

There are match box cars and a rug under the loft and a train with a track in the loft. These activities provide many opportunities for conversations, creativity, and negotiations!!

Dates to Remember:

January 11 - Field trip to the Main Fire Station

January 13 - Exploring

January 16 - Martin Luther King Holiday

January 20 - Exploring

January 27 - Granparents Day

February 3 - The Big Event - New Athletic Center

February 9 - Parent Teacher Conferences

February 14 - Valentine's Day Party - We will need parents to assist with this party and read the children's valentines to them.

February 17 - No School - Teacher-In-Service Day

February 20 - Presidents Day Holiday

To sign up for conferences, pLease come into the classroom, email me Susan_Samuel@ Shorecrest.org or call me after 4:00 pm. Thanks!!

Fish Tales 12/12 ~ 12/16

2011-12-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the fourth birthday of the year by sharing photos and eating a yummy snack!

Decorating trees, both wooden and artificial, is a fun activity that also gives the children practice with their fine motor coordination. They not only decorate the trees, but also take the decorations off to get them ready for the next person.

At center time, the children used scissors to cut a diamond from paper that we had decorated with shaving cream and watercolors.

They cut across the middle of the diamond transforming it into two triangles.

They last step to creating a six-pointed star was arranging it and stapling it together.

Art activities often spark the children's creativity and imagination. This boy put two triangles together to create a diamond after cutting his star!

We visited Ms. O'Mullane's second grade classroom, where the second graders read stories they had written about their holiday traditions. After which, the second graders read us several books and sang the Australian version of Jingle Bells. We learned that their weather is hot during the winter and that it is a tradition to go the beach on Christmas day!!

We have 6th grade "Lunch Buddies" that volunteer and eat lunch with the children on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. This girl is reading Green Eggs and Ham during lunch one day.

They help with opening lunch items, ask questions to spark conversations, and read to the children. Our alpha students benefit from their service and the 6th graders develop leadership skills.

We walked next door to sing for our neighbors at the Winston Park condos.

Our holiday party was a huge success!! Many thanks to all that attended the singing in the theatre and the party. We really appreciate your help and we can not put a value on the meaning it has for the children!!

The children created Florida Snowman quiet bottles by drawing a face and filling them with goodies to look at.

We ate ice cream sundaes for snack and decorated cone shaped plastic bags and filled them with hot chocolate mix.

We created 2-D gingerbread houses and tossed bean bags into a snowman target!

DATES to REMEMBER:

January 3rd - Classes resume - We sent all of the clothing and shoes home from the cubbies so you can check sizes. Please return replacement clothing when the children return.

January 11 - Field trip to the Main Fire Station. Please email or write Mrs. Samuel a note if you would like to volunteer for this trip.

January 27 - Grandparents Day

February 14 - Valentine's Day Party

We would like to take the time and wish you all a safe 2012 filled with laughter, peace, and most of all love!!

Celebrating the Holidays

2011-12-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

Decorating paper using lines, dots, and zigzags was an easel activity this past week. The teachers turned these painting into presents to decorate the classroom windows. The class has had a discussion about giving to others and the children are learning that "the best gift to give is love!!"

Using our imaginations in the classroom "bakery" has been lots of fun and where we have observed conversations and situations where the children had to tap into their negotiating skills when they have to share muffin tins, cakes, and so much more.

Building with Dr. Drew blocks and miniature holiday characters is a very popular center.

Hammering in the gingerbread house provides another outlet for the children's imagination.

The children extend the learning and hammer the ABC blocks after spelling their names!!

How do 3 and 4 year old children vote for their favorite name for our fish? We brain stormed a list of names. The teachers narrowed it down to four. I placed the four names on chairs in different locations in the classroom. I read the names and the children walked to the location to cast their vote. The children decided to call the tetra fish in our classroom tank "Ziggy" and "Zachary!"

We decorated bags for our parents' gifts by glue washing tissue paper and adding glitter.

Decorating paper gingerbread girls and boys was a center time activity. They now adorn the bulletin boards. Please stop by to see their creativity.

Ms. O'Mullane was our mystery reader on Thursday. She read Snowmen at Night by Carolyn Buehner.

We love to build learning that a tall building needs a strong foundation!

We walked to the Athletic center to deliver the presents for our families.We

want to thank you for your overwhelming generosity!! Taking the presents to the distribution center helps the children to begin to learn about the process of giving to others that are less fortunate.

Our theme for exploring was celebrating Hanukkah! For snack, we grated potatoes for potato latkes!! MmMm good! Mrs. Gootson read The Chanukkah Guest by Eric Kimmel. This is a delightful story of an old grandmother, Bubba, making latkes for an old bear which she thought was the Rabbi! We played with a menorah, completed dreidel puzzles, and practiced spinning a variety of dreidels. Decorating a six pointed star by doing rock and roll painting was another exploring activity. Lastly, we created holiday headbands by coloring a variety of holiday symbols including dreidels, trees, bells, reindeer, menorahs, gingerbread boys, and so much more!

Dates to Remember:

Wednesday - December 14 - Walk to Winston Park Condos to sing for our neighbors!!

Friday - December 16 - Holiday Sing for Parents - Janet Root Theatre - 8:30

Friday - December 16 - Holiday Party - 9:45

Tuesday - January 3 - Classes resume

Wednesday - January 11 - Field Trip to Fire Station - Please email us or write a note if you would like to help with this field trip.

Friday - January 27 - Grandparents & Special Friends Day - The children will sing for their grandparents and give them a tour of our classroom and the school.

Holidays Traditions, Gift Drive, and Surprises!!

2011-12-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

We started the week by reading Franklin's Christmas Gift by Paulette Bourgeois. This book helps the children begin to grasp the gift drive process and how important it is to help the needy.

Mr. Williams volunteered at the stars center by encouraging the children to glue stars onto stars with control using "little dots of glue, whooo!"

We created holiday surprises for our Moms and Dads!

Decorating paper with shaving cream, watercolor, and a scraper was so fascinating as we watched the color transfer from the shaving cream to the paper.

STEP ! : Spread shaving cream on a tray.

STEP 2: Drop watercolor onto the shaving cream using medicine droppers.

STEP 3: Mix colors by "bunny hopping" a scraper in the colored shaving cream.

STEP 4: Print paper onto the shaving cream and scrape it off onto the table.

(Yes, there is a yellow scraper in this boy's hands)

Viola, you have beautiful paper that we will use for cards and stars.

The exploratorium loft has been transformed into a gingerbread house where the children can "hammer" blocks in the workshop.

Mrs. Smay celebrated Jan Brett's birthday on Thursday, December 1st, by showing us a variety of books that she has authored. She chose to read Gingerbread Baby!

Then we headed to the exploratorium to mix Gingerbread dough!

We rolled out the dough and used cookie cutters to make a variety of shapes.

The themes for exploring on Friday were holiday traditions and mixing blue and yellow.

Decorating the gingerbread cookies with icing and a variety of sprinkles was our snack!!

Creating jinglebell necklaces give the children opportunities to practice their fine motor coordination.

We will wear these necklaces when we sing at the Winston Park condos next week and for the parents on Friday at 8:30 in the JR Theatre.

Singing and playing musical instruments with Mrs. McIvor celebrate the season!

Yellow + Blue = Green

Dates to Remember:

Friday December 9th - Holiday Gift Drive ends

Friday December 16th - 8:30 - Sing for parents in the Janet Root Theatre. Please drop your child off in car line and go and get a seat in the theatre.

9:45 - Holiday Party PLEASE SEND IN YOUR CHILD'S YELLOW BAG ON THE 16TH

Please return the Grandparents Day form. If you need another, just email me or write me a note.

Fish Tales 11/14 ~ 11/18

2011-11-22T17:47:00.000-08:00

We began the week by traveling to Publix to have a behind the scenes tour and buy the food for our feast.

Santa was our guide for this field trip.

We visited the dairy department and went into the refrigerator where they store the milk, yogurt, cheese, and so much more. Brrrrrr chill! It was cold! Then we headed to the deli for some popcorn and don our hair nets to enter the meat department.

The meat wrapping machine is completely automated.

Then it was time to see and touch a live Maine lobster.

We stopped in the produce department for a snack of purple grapes and talked about some of the fruits and vegetables.

Our last stop was the bakery department where we watched one of the bakers decorate a cake. They make roses on a nail and slip it onto the cake using scissors. Then it was off to shop with the help of two dads and the teachers!

We created I am Thankful for... turkeys by snipping paper feathers with scissors, and gluing on sticker eyes, a beak, a wattle, and legs. Then we told the teachers who we are thankful for!

We mixed 1 can of pumpkin, 2/3 c. milk, 1 box of instant vanilla pudding, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, and folded in 1 c. of cool whip. Then spooned this into a graham cracker crust and added cool whip to the top!! MmMm good!! Into the freezer went this no bake creation!! The best part was tasting the pumpkin filling!! Mrs. Samuel gave us a taste on a popsicle stick.

We mixed chopped chuck, milk, bread crumbs and eggs with our hands to create meatballs.

At the listening center this week we heard the story, The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood.

Some of the other books that we read this week are:

The First Thanksgiving Day ~ A Counting Book by Laura Melmed

Hit the Ball Duck by Jez Alborough

Squirrel's Thanksgiving Surprise by Valerie Tripp

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Williams

1, 2, 3 Thanksgiving by W. Nikola-Lisa

We picked the peas and squash from the garden and ate them later at the feast.

During Exploring on Friday, we cut hot dogs, squash, grapes, and apples. We mashed the potatoes and created bead necklaces. Painting with feathers and using the drums that we made in exploring several weeks ago completed the activities. Many thanks to the parents and grandparents that were able to attend and assist with the feast. As I said at exploring, we could not do this without your help. It was such a joy to watch the children enjoy eating the food that they had helped to prepare!

We are thankful for your children and for you!! Have a delightful Thanksgiving!!

Fish Tales 11/7 ~ 11/11

2011-11-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

We painted dorsal fins using glitter paint, which were props for

Poetry in the Park.

Fine motor coordination is developed through a wide variety of activities.

This boy is using wiki sticks to create "roads."

In the teepee, the children are using the loom and stretch loops over the ends. This not only gives the children a chance to practice their fine motor coordination, but also gives them an opportunity to strengthen their fingers.

Using peg boards reinforces numeral identification and eye-hand coordination.

Transferring objects is still another way that the children practice their fine motor coordination.

The children below are building with Dr. Drew blocks and forest animals. As you recall, I met with the inventor at our National Early Childhood conference in Orlando!

Using musical instruments in the Native American Teepee is a favorite activity at center time.

We brain stormed a list of foods for the Thanksgiving Feast during this week. The teachers took the list and narrowed down the choices. The children then chose what they would like to eat on their own personal menu. Each class will buy the food for the feast when they visit the grocery store. This coming week we will prepare the food and we will all gather on Friday for the children to eat.

We created place mats for the feast using their handprints and worked on the turkey hats.

On the playground, the children develop their gross motor coordination and strength by using the trikes. It is another outlet for their imaginative play as one boy says to the other, "Fill 'er up!!"

Mrs. Stypinsky read to us on Thursday because Mrs. Smay was at the Book Fair. She read What is Thanksgiving? by Elaine Landau

Some of the other books that we read this week are:
Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell
Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael Kaplan
That's When I'm Happy by Beth Shoshan
Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney

We finished the week by attending and performing in "Poetry in the Park!"

What a joy it was to watch the entire Early Childhood, Lower Division, and parents gather as a community!!

Monday 11/14 - Field Trip to Publix

Friday 11/18 - Playground 8:45 - 9:45

Exploring 9:45 - 10:45 Food Prep

Feast 11:00 approximately

We will need parents to help at exploring, put out the placemats, and help serve the food.

11/19 - 11/27 - Have a healthy, happy thanksgiving vacation!

Fish Tales 10/31 ~ 11/4

2011-11-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

We started the week by tasting the pumpkins seeds from our jack-o-lantern. Mrs. Samuel roasted them with a variety of spices. The ate one seed with each flavor including salt, garlic and cinnamon sugar. MmMm Good! Then they filled in a bar graph that corresponded to their favorite flavor. Ask your child which flavor they liked best!!

Artwork is often done with paper, crayons, glue, and so much more. At other times we draw on chalk boards and dry erase boards.

Toss the turkey was an indoor throwing game the children played. We encouraged them to throw underhand.

We opened up the listening center this week. The children listened to It's Mine by Leo Lionni in pairs. This is a delightful story of 3 frogs fighting to sit on rock island. In the end teamwork prevails!

We talked about Thanksgiving and decorated paper to form a Native American teepee. We looked at pictures of teepees and Seminole Indian Chickees in books. We talked about how the Native Americans in Florida built their chickees and added palm fronds on the roof.

In the teepee, books, dolls, a loom, and musical instruments are there for the children to use as tools for their imagination.

We used the gathering drum with Mrs. McIvor in music.

We talked about different ways that we tell time by using a clock, a calendar, a watch, and through the seasons. We learned the following poem:

Name the seasons

4 in all

Winter is when the weather is cold,

Spring is when the flowere grow,

Summer is when the weather is hot,

And Fall is when the leaves fall from the trees to the ground.

We checked the Magic Basket and found scissors. We practiced snipping strips of paper and glued the snips onto leaves to create "Fall" leaves.

Mixing red, orange, brown, and black paint with rollers on a banner paper was our center time activity on Thursday. This paper became the trunk of the classroom tree where our leaves are hanging. Take a minute to stop by the classroom to see it.

Mrs. Williams was our Mystery Reader. She read The Twelve Days of Winter by Deborah Lee Rose.

Exploring activities this week included using the gathering drum, decorating paper to create individual drums, and dancing with them. We created turkey hats and a turkey snack.

Mrs. Samuel goes to school! The classroom teachers attended the National Association for the Education of Young Children National Convention in Orlando. It was an amazing three days filled with sessions about brain research, teaching strategies, nationally known singers, and so much more. Mrs. Samuel takes a moment for a photograph with Dr. Drew. He is the inventor of blocks that we use throughout the year. The children use these blocks to create roads, corrals, buildings, a sleigh, and so much more.

~Dates to Remember ~

Poetry in the Park - 11/11 - 8:30 Lower Division Quad amongst the pine trees. Please bring a chair or a blanket to sit on. We ask that you drop your child off in car line. You may join us at snack time in the classroom at intermission.
Field trip to Publix - 11/14 - 9:15 - We need several parents to help with this trip.
Please email Mrs. Samuel or send in a note if you can help.
We will be touring and buying the food for our feast.

Thanksgiving Feast - 11/18 - 9:30 Exploring

Feast - 11:00 - The children will begin to eat at approximately this time.

We will need parents to help at exploring and others to help serve up the food. Thanks!

Fish Tales 10/24 ~ 10/28

2011-10-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Mrs. McIvor does so much to enhance the children's learning. This is a video of the "Billy Billy," which incorporates singing, dancing, and following directions with a partner!

We decorated paper pumpkins and turned them into jack-o-lanterns by gluing eyes, a nose, and mouth using a variety of shapes to represent each. Some of the children added ears, eyebrows, or legs.

Carving our class pumpkin was lots of fun! The children chose the shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth. Mrs. Samuel carved the pumpkin. Then we scooped out the pulp and the seeds. We heard words as "gooey, slimy, wet, and squishy" as they reached their hands into the jack-o-lantern.

At circle on Wednesday, we did our first morning greeting. The children were given a shape. A child with the matching shape stepped into the middle of the rug to greet the first child by saying "hello" and giving a hug! This reinforces good manners, looking into the eyes of a friend as you speak, and sharing love!

We created Halloween necklaces by stringing beads and adding a felt pumpkin.

On Thursday, Mrs. Smay read Anancy and the Haunted House by Richardo

Keens-Douglas

This is a delightful story about teamwork and the importance of us all, no matter how big or how small we are.

Some of the other books that we read this week are:

Happy Halloween Biscuit by Alyssa Capucilli

A B C's of Halloween by Patricia Eubank

Corduroy's Halloween by Don Freeman

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Things With Wings by Carson Creigh

The Selfish Crocodile by Faustin Charles

We took time before the Halloween Parade on Friday to pose for pictures!

We watched the parade of lower division students before we joined them.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Wednesday November 2 - Parent Chat with Mrs. Gootson SAC - 8:15

Friday November 4 - Exploring - 10:00

Friday November 11 - Poetry in the Park - 8:30

Monday November 14 - Field Trip to Publix

Friday November 18 - Exploring 9:45 - Feast 11:00

Fish Tales 10/17 ~ 10/21

2011-10-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

We began the week by talking about our costumes for Halloween. Each of the children held the jack-o-lantern bean bag and stated a sentence about their costume. Then they got to choose who they would hand it to next.

Ms. O'Mullane's second graders came to our classroom for Buddy Reading! What is Buddy reading? The second graders pair up with an Alpha student and read a a picture book to them. It is an opportunity for the young child to get to know some of the older students and further build community. Each month we will do a different activity with Ms. O'Mullane's class!

At center time, we created Halloween pictures by drawing with a white crayon on black paper. Adding foam stickers was the next step of this project and then the children dictated their stories to Mrs. Samuel. This project gave the children an opportunity to practice creating representational drawing and also gave them a chance to practice their fine motor coordination by having to peel the white backing from the sticker shapes. They are hanging up in the classroom. Please make sure you take time to look at them when you are visiting the classroom after the Halloween Parade on Friday.

Thanks for helping your child choose items for sharing that reinforce our themes. We had the best time counting the 8 legs of these gigantic spider. When children play with these creatures, it makes them less scary.

Mr. Williams was our mystery reader on Thursday. He "read' two books using the I-pad. The first book was What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss and the next was Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk

Some of the other books that we read this week included:

Night is Coming by W. Nikolalisa

No Room on the Broom

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental

It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall

How Spider Saved Halloween by Robert Kraus

One of my favorite activities is listening to Mrs. Gootson read to your children. She makes a book come alive! In this photo she was finishing How Spider Saved Halloween.

Mrs. Samuel was missing? No, she spent the first hour of Friday morning honoring Mr. Hank for his 39 years with the postal system.

Our themes for exploring were bats, spiders, and Halloween. We made a drink using "ghost" milk and spider juice (orange sherbet). Mixing it in the blender made a yummy treat to go along with orange/anaranjado and black/negro cookies. We walked over and under a spider web and decorated bats by doing "rock and roll" painting. Mrs. McIvor was the leader of the dance room where the regular lights were turned off and we moved on the rug to the glow of the orange Halloween lights.

We finished this spectacular day by attending the student dedication of the new Athletic center. We made a book to go into the time capsule and had so much fun celebrating this new facility. If you have not had the pleasure, please schedule a tour with Mrs. Gootson.

Help!! We are collecting oatmeal, pringle, and coffee containers for our Thanksgiving exploring on November 4th. We will be making drums. You may send them in at any time before that day. Thanks!

Fish Tales 10/11 ~ 10/14

2011-10-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

We started the week by gluing ovals onto a large oval! We encourage the children to glue with control using "little dots of glue, whoo!"

On Wednesday, Mr. Dan from Animal House visited and brought some of his favorite pets. The creatures included a boa constrictor, a ferret, a guinea pig, and a rex rabbit. The children delighted in touching these interesting animals.

The boa constrictor is cold blooded and has a scaly skin.

The ferret has warm blood, fur, and can make his body very flat.

The guinea pig has fur, is warm blooded, and makes a wonderful pet!

The rabbit has fur and he was shedding his summer coat and a thicker winter coat was growing in.

We created a spider by stapling two ovals together. We tore black paper to create eight legs. Tearing is a pre-scissor skill and helps the children work their hands and fingers in opposition.

We glued on googly eyes or sticker eyes.

And we stapled the legs onto the abdomen of the spider. We counted how many legs we had stapled in English and in Spanish.

The children named their spiders and told the teachers what they were doing.
They are hanging in the classroom!

Tearing paper and gluing it to a banner was an exploratorium activity this past week. The teachers cut this paper to a create a tree for the classroom bulletin board.

On Thursday, Upper Division students from the Universal Language club read Gus Gets Scared by Frank Remkiewicz and a non-fiction book, Bat by Deborah Gibson to us in the library.

Play dough was a center time activity. One of the children created a spider and counted the number of legs he had added.

Building with tree blocks, spiders, and snakes was an activity in the exploratorium.

We visited Nurse Confident in her office on Thursday.

At center time on Thursday, we played the Snail Game with one of the Dads.

Old McShorecrest Had a Farm

2011-10-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

This week was filled with Farm related activities. On the rug we had two different floor puzzles for the children to complete.

In the loft in the exploratorium, the children used their imaginations using the large wooden barn and farm animals!

Housekeeping in the exploratorium included hats to wear as the farmers cook up a healthy breakfast!

Oh, do you know who says moo, moo? (Tune: Muffin Man)

Who says moo, moo?

Oh, do you know who says moo, moo?

The milk cow says moo, moo!!

The children delighted in pretending to milk a cow. They pulled on the "udders" of a glove filled with white paint and watched it squirt onto blue paper, the table, and even the floor!

Next week, the children will tell the teachers what they see in the painted paper using their imaginations. We will reread It Looks like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw to spark their creativity!

We created a banner by mixing red/rojo and white/blanco to create pink/rosado paper. The teachers will cut a a pig to decorate the classroom from this paper!

Mr. Murphy read The Napping House by Audrey Wood on Wednesday.

He challenged us to remember the order of the animals laying atop of the Granny!

Painting with dry tempera cakes was an exploratorium activity this week.

The children were taught to rinse their brushes before they chose the next color and to clean out the water cup to get it ready for the next person.

Friday was a very busy day! We started the day by attending the JK Pet Show.

This is one of Mrs. Samuel's friends from last year showing his pet frog.

The theme for exploring was mixing red/rojo and yellow/amarillo to create orange/ananrajado!

For snack, we mixed red and yellow sugar in our yogurt. In Mrs. Mundell's classroom, mixing red and yellow paint using potato mashers and rollers on a banner was lots of fun. With the help of one of our parents we mixed red and yellow watercolor in a baggie filled with shaving cream. Mixing red and yellow playdough was an activity in our classroom. Mixing red and yellow watercolors using medicine droppers and pipettes was still another mixing activity.

Whoo! It was sooooooooooo much fun!!

Please return your Fall Festival Form as soon as possible. Thanks!!

Fish Tales 9/26 ~ 9/30

2011-10-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

We started the week by fingerpainting with yellow/amarillo and red/rojo paint. We discovered orange/ananrajado!! These paintings will become pumpkins in our classroom pumpkin patch!

One day in the exploratorium, the children mixed red and yellow paint in the water table!

On the playground throughout the week, the children checked the pea and squash plants. They are growing with the help of the abundance of rain we were experiencing.

We added stakes and yarn for the pea plants to attach to and for stability. The children looked closely at the runners that the plants are producing.

Each day we play, Guess Your Best! The children try to guess who is absent. Then we put their photograph inside a shape on the bulletin board. When they return to school we sing:

Welcome back, welcome back

We missed you, we missed you

We're so glad you're here

Back at school, back at school

Ask your child what color shape we had up for the end of September.

I put a new shape a up for Monday, 10/3!

Printing with farm stampers was a center time activity.

Mrs. Smay read The Bike Lesson by Stan and Jan Berenstain on Thursday.

After we chose books, one of the Moms read to some of us!

Pets was the theme for the first exploring on Friday. We opened up the brown doors between the classrooms and children from both Alpha classes moved freely from classroom to classroom choosing activities. New relationships with the children from Mrs. Mundell's class grow and blossom.

For snack we ate "puppy chow" (chex mix) from bowls without using our paws!

Creating dog and cat headbands was another popular center.

We played doghouse color bingo with Mrs. McIvor and built our own dog houses using cardboard blocks!

Using our imaginations with miniature dogs and play dough was another popular center.

Pressing letters into wet sand was an activity in one of the water tables.

Fun was had by all. If you find your are free on a Friday, please check in at the ECC office and come and discover with us. We start exploring at 10:00 with a very short assembly and finish up at approximately 11:30. Come for all of exploring or a shorter segment. The children will benefit from your presence and your questions!!

Fish Tales 9/19 ~ 9/23

2011-09-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Wheels on the bus go round and round!! Our first ride on a school bus to Crisp Park was very memorable. On the way we looked for things outside the bus that were red/rojo and yellow/amarillo!

We ate snack and sang The Wheels on the Bus on the way home!! A good time was had by all!

We celebrated our third birthday!!

On Tuesday, we discovered our pea seeds in the cups had sprouted. We used magnifying glasses to look at the stems a little closer. Later on we planted the sprouts in the garden on the playground!

We experienced our first "Mystery Reader" on Thursday. We gave the children several clues including:

1. The mystery reader is one of our Moms.

2. She is the mother of one of the girls in the class.

3. She has brunette hair.

Our Mystery Reader read Tiddler by Julia Donaldson

Exploring with the Handwriting Without Tears pieces was an activity at centers one day. We discovered big line, little line, big curve, and little curve make many different letters.

Mrs. Gootson reads to us on Fridays. This week she read Best Pet of All! by David LaRochelle.

Some of the other books that we read this past week included:

Dr. Seuss' ABC's by Dr. Seuss

Gus the Bus by Olga Cossi

Llama, Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss

Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee

The Farmyard Surprise by Eve Bunting

We opened the unit blocks last week! Building with them in the exploratorium develops creativity, cooperation, and concentration!

We will be collecting items for the SPCA through mid-October. Please send them in in your child's bag and we will get them to the collection box. Some of them include: dog biscuits, cat snacks, dish soap, shoe boxes, sheets, towels, and pillow cases.

Parent Conferences on Thursday October 6th. School will be closed this day for EC-8th grade.

We Love to "Read" Literature 9/12 ~ 9/16

2011-09-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

This week during morning table toys I looked up from greeting the children and low and behold I saw your wonderful children "reading" books to themselves and to each other!! You have instilled your love of reading with your children. Please say to yourselves, "Good job me!!" That is what we do with the children when they make good choices!

I listened to another child read to me in the exploratorium. At first he said, "I can't read." I responded by saying, "Oh, yes you can! Look at the drawings and read from the pictures!" He did so and it was so heart warming for him to realize he could "read" to himself! Another way children at this age "read" is through memorization of a favorite story that you have read repeatedly.

Mr. Murphy stopped by to interact with the children one day in the exploratorium. He and a child were predicting how many "boat" loads of water it would take to fill the pitcher.

We celebrated our second birthday with a healthy snack and reading the birthday book! The birthday child walked around the rug to show her classmates her favorite page of pictures.

We guessed what was in the "Magic Basket." Some of the children's responses included "pictures, roller skates, cakes, dinosaurs, glue, and books!" We discovered markers. Mrs. Samuel asked us to look at ourselves in the mirror and draw a self-portrait with them.

Thursday is library day. This week Mrs. Smay read Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClusky. It is always a delight to here Mrs. Smay read to the children as she changes her voice for animals and characters. She also juggles props with ease!

On Friday, we planted green pea seeds in the garden on the playground. Then we came in for center time and planted other pea seeds in a cup that we kept in the classroom. The children spooned soil into a cup and watered the seeds. Then they predicted which seeds would sprout first. They filled in a rectangle on a bar graph that displayed their choices.

The beauty shop was open in the Vet Clinic!

Using our imagination in conjunction with building is a daily activity!

FIELD TRIP to Crisp Park is on Wednesday 9/21. If you find you are free and would like to help, just write us a note.

Fish Tales 9/6 ~ 9/9

2011-09-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

The teachers have turned the housekeeping center into a "Vet Clinic" in the exploratorium. The children delighted in using their imaginations to heal the pets. Some of the interactions that we heard included telephone calls, plans to help an animal, and negotiations for a favorite tool.

We celebrated our first birthday by listening to the birthday book, singing Happy Birthday in English and Spanish, and eating a healthy snack!

Printing circles with a variety of cups, tubes, and pots using red/rojo and yellow/amarillo paint was a center time activity. Some of the children discovered when you mix red and yellow, orange is created!

Outdoor Play includes a variety of equipment. Walking on the black border is one way that the children practice keeping their balance as they walk. Other children use balance buckets to refine their balance skills.

At morning circle, we sang Make New Friends. We held a plastic dolphin and named one of our new friends in our class at Shorecrest! Each child was able to decide who they were going to hand the dolphin to next.

At center time on Thursday, Mrs. Samuel shook the Magic Basket and we guessed what was inside. Some of the guesses included "fish, dinos, Sponge Bob, birthday cakes, horses, and paintings!" After everyone had a guess, we discovered bottles of glue. Next came a center time activity which included gluing photocopies of our friends onto a piece of paper using "little dots of glue, wooo!" We will send these projects home this coming week. Please hang up the pictures and ask your child who they ate snack with or who they played with on the playground. We put a key on the back to help you. The children are very proud when they come home and can tell you a new friend's name!

Ms. Fenech read I Need a Hug! by Clara Barton Elementary Students.

Some of the other books that we read this week included:

Bear Shadow by Frank Asch

There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss

Hug by Jez Alborough

Chicka Chicka 1-2-3 by Bill Martin Jr.

Fish Tales 8/29 ~ 9/2

2011-09-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Creating Mat Man from the Handwriting Without Tears Program using "big lines, little lines, big curves," and "little curves" was an activity that we practiced several times throughout the week. We read I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson and looked at ourselves in a mirror. Next, we drew self-portraits, which are hanging in the classroom.

We play on the playground daily. One of our favorite large muscle activities is jumping using the Hoppity Hop Balls.

We went to the library on Thursday and Mrs. Smay introduced us to Mr. Clean Hand and Mr. Dirty Hand. These wonderful hand puppets reinforce with the children how to take care of our books!

Creativity abounds in the Alpha classrooms. Bristle blocks are built into a birthday cake and soon you hear a chorus of Happy Birthday Fantastic Fish!

Painting at the easel was introduced this week. The children learn how to wipe the excess paint from their brush and create pictures by "drawing" with the paintbrush! The children love to add imaginative dictation about their creations!!

Scat the Cat

I'm Scat the Cat

I'm sassy and fat

And I can change my color just like that!!

This is the rhyme that we say for Scat to change colors. Scat the Cat is a delightful flannel board activity where the children name objects in the room that match Scat's color.

We were so happy to see all of you at Back to School Night!! Yippee, we had 100% participation!!

Our next activity will be our field trip to Crisp Park on September 21st. It's never too late to sign up for this first experience riding on a school bus. Parents may follow the bus or meet us there.

Just email us or send in a note that you would like to volunteer.

Fantastic Fish Swim Through a Busy Week ~ 8/22 - 8/26

2011-08-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

We began the week by looking at the color calendar on the bulletin board. We use red for Monday, orange for Tuesday, yellow for Wednesday, green for Thursday, and blue for Friday. This gives the children the opportunity to learn the days of the week, review the colors in English and learn them in Spanish, as well. Mrs. McIvor sang many songs with us. Our two favorites are "I'm a Little Teapot" and the "Chicken Dance!"

On Monday, we read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. This is the the delightful story that Mrs. Gootson read at the parent orientation. We created a "kissing hand suncatcher" for you to hang up at home. Please send back the kissing hand that you decorated with your child for their cubbie. You will pick up the suncatcher at Back to School Night on Thursday. This story helps the children transition to a new school and demonstrates that love is a two way street!!

On Tuesday, we met the Physical education coaches (Coach Pope, Coach Cameron, and Coach Every) and had great fun playing the "freeze Game" which incorporates listening and following directions.

Fingerpainting is so much fun!! This gives the children a sensory experience and we talked about red, which is called "rojo" in Spanish.

We read Those Mean Nasty Dirty Downright Disgusting, but INViSIBLE Germs by Judith Rice. We talked about the the importance of washing our hands thoroughly. Then we made VISIBLE germs by folding a paper in half and dropping "little dots of paint" onto it. The children folded the paint together

to create a symmetrical germ.

The Charger Cheerleaders visited our classroom early on Friday morning.

Make new friends, but keep the old! One is silver and the other is gold. Our class has added a new friend and he stopped by with his parents for an orientation visit.

We read many more books, and walked to the library to meet Mrs. Smay. The Fantastic Fish listened to Mrs. Gootson read, Will I Have a Friend by Miriam Cohen. Whew!! It was a busy week and we are just getting started. Buckle up your seat belts for a year filled with hands on learning!!

                BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - THURSDAY,
                                         SEPTEMBER 1st
                                  JANET ROOT THEATRE
7:00 p.m.

New Beginnings at Shorecrest

2011-08-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Our Alpha adventures began with greeting the teachers, making new friends, and learning the daily routine. The children have already learned to find their name tapes on the rug and to sit down at circle time to begin the day or to listen to a story.

On Friday, we read one of my favorite rhyming books, Silly Sally by Audrey Wood. I will often list books that we read in class so that you may check them out from the library to read them to your children. All children love to hear stories over and over again. The repetition reinforces concepts, love of language, and interest in literature!

Building community is one of our goals for the Alpha Fantastic Fish this year. Rolling the ball to learn names of our friends was a circle time activity on the first day of school.

We eat snack Monday through Thursday in the exploratorium. It is a time to have conversations and use manners! What do we do for snack on Fridays? Come to Back to School Night on 9/1 and you will find out!

On Friday, we walked to the softball field for a "Fire Practice!" We emphasized to the children that we were not experiencing a real fire and now they know where to go and what to do if we do.

Next week we will meet the Physical Education coaches, have Music with Mrs. McIvor, and listen to a story read by Mrs. Gootson! Check the blog each week for the adventures of the Fantastic Fish as they grow, discover, and learn!

Any questions, just email me at:
Susan_Samuel @Shorecrest.org