Old McShorecrest Had a Farm

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?

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

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

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

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.