Thursday, April 27

Group Meeting:  Thank you grown-ups and children!  We reached our goal of 2000 books today! Whew!! We were a little worried Wednesday afternoon, but the children arrived with more papers today.

Story: The first Lois Ehlert book that I read was Color Zoo. This is a book of shapes. Using the shape holes in the pages, Lois shows us how to make animal faces. At play time, several children took the book to the art table and copied her work using shapes that they cut from paper.

The second book that I read was Ten Little Caterpillars.  This is a counting book. Some caterpillars are eating the beautiful plants and flowers.  Some caterpillars are being watched by birds and fish.  Something happens to the last caterpillar. Ask you child to tell you.

Small groups: During April, we read books and observed art techniques of four author/illustrators. Today, I put photos of those authors on the table. I gave each child a book that we had read during April. Together, we looked at the art work and selected the person who wrote and illustrated the book.

Let's Find Out Magazine:  The children learned about trees and how important they are to our environment.  Arbor day is Friday.  Check out the online version at letsfindout.com  Sign in as a student and use the password redeemer.

Snacks:  The snack for today was ice cream!  The children could add chocolate syrup and sprinkles.

The staff and I will be attending an Early Childhood conference in Des Moines for the next two days.  I will not be available tomorrow, but we will all be back on Monday.  

Wednesday, April 27

Group Meeting: We are sooooo close to reaching our goal of 2000 books. We just need a few more scoops!  We might have to do a little more reading before snack time tomorrow😁

Story: The first Lois Ehlert book that I read was RRRalph.  This story is told by someone who has gotten a new dog. The owner believes that the dog can talk because he says his name is Rrralph. Rrralph sits on the roof, roof of his dog house. He likes the bark, bark on the tree. Ask your child to tell you what Rrralph hears outside of the fence.

The second book was Holey Moley. This book is narrated by a mole. He tells about how he lives underground. He eats worms but thinks they are getting boring.  He is looking for tasty bugs to eat. He eats too many which makes him to big for his hole. Holey Moley!

Large Group: The children went outdoors for a Spring Scavenger Hunt. They were given a list of things to find. There were one or two that we could not find. Perhaps they can find them at home.

Snacks: The snack for today was Belvita bars, milk and water.

Tuesday, April 26

Group Meeting: We are getting very close to reaching our reading goal.  If your child has lost their paper, you can write the book names on any paper and bring it to school.

Story: The first Lois Ehlert book that I read was Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On.  This is a book of beautiful fish that Lois Ehlert has cut from paper.  The eyes of the fish are holes so that the color changes when you turn the page.   A little fish in the book has the reader doing simple math: “three striped fish plus me makes____?”

The second book that I read was Nuts to You! A squirrel has found an open window with a torn screen. He sneaks inside the house. How will they get him out of the house? Ask you child to tell you.

Small Groups:  The children were given a paper with three blue circles on it and a bowl of Goldfish crackers.  A child rolled a dice and the children counted that number of fish into the first blue circle.  The dice was rolled again and the children counted that number of fish into the second circle.  Next, the children moved all of the fish into the third circle and counted how many fish all together.

Large Group:  The children played a game called Squirrels in the Trees.  Children are put into groups of three.  Two of those children create a tree by holding hands.  The third child is placed in the middle and is a squirrel.  One child in the class is left and is designated as the squirrel without a tree.  That squirrel yells "go" and all of the squirrels have to find a different tree while the squirrel without a tree scrambles to find one as well.  We took turns being squirrels and trees.

Snack:  Our snack today was Triscuit crackers, cheese slices, juice and water.

Monday, April 25

Group Meeting:  We are almost to the end of our reading month.  We haven't reached our goal yet, but we have three more days.  At the end of today, I saw that we need 390 more books to meet our goal.  I know we can do it!!!  

Story:  This week, our author/illustrator is Lois Ehlert.  We read a Lois Ehlert book in January, Snowballs.  That book was the inspiration for our snow people that were decorated at home and then brought back to school for display.

The first book that I read today was Wag a Tail.  This book was about dogs going to the dog park.  They pass through a farmers market on the way.  To make the art work in her books, Lois cuts paper and makes collages.  The dogs in the book were made by using pinking shears to cut the paper.  Buttons were added for eyes.  After the story, some children went to the art table and used our shears to make pictures.

The second book that I read was Feathers for Lunch.  A cat sneaks outside to see if he can catch a bird.  Lois Ehlert loves birds.  Many of her books feature birds.  The cat can't seem to catch one, however.  Ask your child to make some of the bird calls that we learned.

Small Groups:  We used this time for the eye screening.  If your child did not return a paper and you still wish for a screening, the Lions Club will  be here again tomorrow morning.  

Large Group:  The children played a game called Cat and Bird.  Ask your child to tell you how this game is played.

Snacks:  The snack for today was apples, peanut butter, milk, and water.

Wednesday, April 20

Group Meeting:  Some of the Art Show items were on display today.  The children were interested in looking at what the other classes have been making.

Story:  This week, we are reading books by Dr. Seuss.  I read What Pet Should I Get?   In this story, a boy and his sister have been told that they can get a pet.  They go to the pet store to decide what they would like to have as a pet.  They can only get one.  They consider many different kinds.  At the end of the story, the boy is walking out with the pet, but it is in a basket and you can't tell what it is.  Ask your child to tell you what they think it is.

At story time, I read My Many Colored Days.  This book was written by Dr. Seuss but was illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher.  This book is all about colors and feelings.  Sometimes you may feel busy like bright yellow bees and some days you may feel brown like a sleepy bear.

Small Groups:  The children were given a beginning reader book that went along with our story What Pet Should I Get?  We read through it together and figured out the color words so that we could color the pet the correct color.  Now, the children should be able to "read" it on their own.

Large Group:  After reading My Many Colored Days, we did an experiment.  The children worked in pairs.  They were given a pie pan with about a half inch of milk in the bottom.  They dropped liquid watercolor into the milk using eye droppers.  Next, they dipped a cotton swab into a little dish soap and dipped the swab into the milk.  Ask your child to tell you what happened to the colors. 

Snack:  The snack for today was Clementines, milk and water. 

The Art Show is tomorrow night.  The AM class will come between 6:00-6:30.  The PM class will come from 6:30-7:00.  If you cannot come at the time assigned for your child's class, you are welcome to come at another time.  However, you might want to prepare your child by telling them that the children from their class will not be there at that time.

Monday, April 18

Group Meeting:  The children wanted to tell everyone about their weekend.  We took a few minutes to talk about egg hunts and visiting relatives.

Story:  This week, we will be learning about Theodore Geisel, AKA Dr. Seuss.   We watched a video reading of The Cat in the Hat.    This is the story of two children who are at home while mother has gone out to run an errand.  The Cat and the Hat comes to visit.  Ask your child to tell you what happens while mom is gone.

At storytime, I read Green Eggs and Ham.  Sam is asking his friend if he likes green eggs and ham.  The friend says he does not.  Ask your child to tell you what happens at the end.  

Large Group:  After identifying the rhyming words in Green Eggs and Ham, we played a game in which the children had to search for paper green eggs that had been cut in half.  The top half had a picture and the bottom half had a picture that rhymed with it.  Each child found a half and then searched for the child that had the other half that rhymed with it.

Let's Find Out:  I found a previous issue of the Let's Find Out magazine that was about Dr. Seuss.  We looked it on the Promethean board.  We learned that we can identify Dr. Seuss' characters because they usually have big bellies, scraggly hair, and U shaped pupils.

Snack:  The snack for today was Goldfish, cheese sticks, milk, and water.

Thursday, April 14

Group Meeting:  Today was all about Spring and Easter.  We danced to Boom Chick-a Boom Easter version.

Story:  The first Kevin Henkes book that I read was egg.  This is a picture book with few words.  The reader has to follow the pictures of four eggs.  Three of them hatch.  One does not.  The three chicks help crack the last egg.  Ask your child to tell you the surprise that comes out of that last egg.

The second Kevin Henkes book was When Spring Comes.  This is a beautiful book that shows things that happen when Spring arrives.

Small Groups:  The children worked on a few more Art Show items that we need to finish up for next week.

Large Group:  The children went on an Easter egg hunt.  They could find four eggs and the eggs had to be four different colors.

Snack:  The children enjoyed cupcakes, milk and water.  The children picked colors of food coloring to put in their drinks to make it festive.  

Thank you to the parents who provided the candy, napkins, milk, and cupcakes.  The children loved everything!

Wednesday, April 13

Group Meeting:  We learned a new song about a rabbit.  The name was Robbie Rabbit.  It's is a Miss Nina video if you'd like to try it.

Story:   I read The Good Day by Kevin Henkes.   In this story, four animals are having a bad day.  The bird lost a feather, the fox kit can't find it's mother, a puppy's leash is tangled, and a squirrel has dropped his nut.  Will the bad day continue?  Ask your child to tell you how things get turned around.

In the morning, I also read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes.  Lilly loves school, especially her teacher.  When she grows up, she wants to be just like him.   Lilly's grandmother takes her shopping and buys her a new purse.  She is so excited about her new purse that she can't stop showing it and talking about it at school.  The purse becomes a distraction so the teacher takes it away.  Now, Lilly is angry with her teacher.  She draws an unflattering picture of him and puts it in his bag.  What will happen now?  Ask your child to tell you.

In the afternoon, I read Sun Flower Lion by Kevin Henkes.  A drawing of a sun becomes a sunflower.  The sunflower becomes a lion.  This is a cute simple book that teaches children how to draw things and turn them into something else.

Small Groups:   The children used jelly beans to measure lines on their paper.  They counted the beans and printed the numeral on the jelly bean.  We sampled a few beans when we were done.

Let's Find Out Magazine:  Our magazine was about rabbits.  The video showed many kinds of rabbits, where they live, and what they eat.

Snack:  The snack for today was Berry Cheerios, milk, and water.

T-shirt orders are due tomorrow!

Tuesday, April 12

Group Meeting:  We are moving to Easter themed songs this week.  We've done the Bunny Hokey Pokey, the Bunny Freeze Dance, and Move Like a Bunny so far.

We are getting a good number of reading papers back.  The scoops of ice cream are increasing.  If your child has lost their reading paper, we can send home another.

Story:  Our author/illustrator for the week is Kevin Henkes.  We read two stories again today.  The first was A Parade of Elephants.  This is a book with just a few words on each page.  The elephants are marching; up and down, and around and around.  When it is night, they do something with their trunks.  Ask your child to tell you what they do.

At storytime, I read Owen.  Owen has a fuzzy yellow blanket.  He has had it since he was a little mouse.  He takes it everywhere.  One day, the neighbor asks his parents if it is time for him to get rid of the blanket.  Owen is not ready.  His parents try everything but nothing makes Owen want to give up the blanket.  Now it is time for Owen to go to school.  Will he be able to take his blanket?  Mom has an idea.  Ask your child to tell you what it was.

Small Groups:  The children participated in a Count the Room activity.  The paper in their bag today is from this activity.  The children searched for pictures of Easter items and counted them.  They printed the corresponding numeral on their paper.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snack:  The snack for today was carrots, ranch dressing, milk and water.

Monday, April 11

Group Meeting:  This week, we will be continuing our study of author/illustrators.  We will also be doing some Easter activities as well.

Story:  The author/illustrator for this week is Kevin Henkes.  The first story that we read was Old Bear.  Old Bear is ready to hibernate.  While he sleeps, he dreams of the seasons to come.  When he wakes, it is spring.  This book has beautiful watercolor illustrations. 

Later in the day, we also read Chrysanthemum.  Chrysanthemum is a little girl loves her name.  It fits her perfectly.  However, when she starts school, the children tease her because her name is different.  Now Chrysanthemum is not sure that she likes her name.  Then, the class meets Mrs. Twinkle, the music teacher.  She overhears the children teasing Chrysanthemum.  Mrs. Twinkle tells the children that she is also named after a flower, Delphinium.  Mrs. Twinkle is going to have a baby.  Ask your child to tell you what she is going to name her baby.

Small Groups:  The children drew their faces for our year end T-shirts.

Large Group:  The children went outdoors.  We also had an Easter Egg race indoors.

Snack:  The snack for today was bagels and English muffins, cream cheese, milk and water.

Thursday, April 7

Group Meeting:  Our theme for the day was pancakes.  It was Birthday Day so we decided to make pancakes for a snack.  We started our day by dancing to Koo Koo Kangaroo's "I Like Pancakes".

Story:  The Eric Carle story that I read was Pancakes, Pancakes.    Jack wants a pancake for breakfast.  His mother tells him that she will make one for him, but he will need to help.  To make the pancake, they will need flour.  Jack takes wheat to the miller to grind into flour.  They need eggs.  Jack goes to the hen house.  They need milk.  Jack milks the cow.  Once they have everything they need, Jack's mom fries him a pancake.  What does Jack put on the pancake?  Ask your child to tell you.

The children helped me shake the ingredients for pancake batter.  While the assistant teachers fried the pancakes, we watched a video about Eric Carle and listened to the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear which was illustrated by Eric Carle.

Let's Find Out Magazine:  The magazine for today was about our five senses.  We watched a video about our senses.  We did not complete the back page.  Your child can do this at home.  If you would like to do more activities with this magazine, go to letsfindout.com  Log in as a student and use the password redeemer.  This program works best if you use the Chrome browser.

Snacks:  The children had pancakes with butter and jam, milk, water and Birthday Brownies. 

Wednesday, April 6th

 I want to thank all of the parents who were able to come to conferences.  I know there's a few that had conflicts.  I am planning to meet with those parents soon.

Group Meeting:  This week, we will be learning about the author/illustrator Eric Carle.  I started the day by showing the children a picture of Mr. Carle.  A few children returned their book papers already and put scoops of ice cream on the bulletin board.  

Story:  I read two Eric Carle stories today.  The first was Have You Seen My Cat?   In this story, a boy is looking for his cat.  He searches the whole world and finds many other cats from the cat family such as a mountain lion, a jaguar, and a puma.  Finally, he finds his own cat, and she has a surprise for him.  Ask your child to tell you what it is.

The second story that I read was From Head to Toe.  In this book, children are trying to do the same motions that animals do such as arch like a cat and kick like a donkey.  After reading it, we tried some of those motions.

Small Groups:  The children are starting to work on Art Show projects.  Our theme this year is Candy Land.  That's all I can tell you right now.  The rest is a secret.

Snack:  The snack for today was cereal; Life in the AM, and Rice Chex in the PM.  We served this with milk and water.