Fish Tales 9/19 ~ 9/23

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

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

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

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.