Wrapping Up Our Space Study...

We wrapped up our Space Study this week, but I had some pictures to share.  Look at these astronauts working on blast-off sequences...

 

 

 

Looking out the porthole into space...

 

 

Trying on super cool space helmets...

 

 

 

This is how astronauts sleep, but I don't think they have quite so much fun with it!  You would be SHOCKED at how much these kids know about space!

 



 

 

 

We threw together a few space sculptures, including a robotic arm, a space shuttle and several space cats.  

 

 

 

Space bingo was super popular, as are all games.  

 

 

 

So, all the kids can talk about is pumpkins and Halloween, so we are going with it.  We have a BUNCH of pumpkins in our classroom, some real, some fake, some jack 'o lanterns,  some trick or treat pumpkins, as well as a bunch of gourds.  We will be doing a TON of activities with these over the next couple of weeks.  Can't wait.  In the meantime, we filled our sensory table with straw and pumpkins and small treasures.   Yes, it's messy. Yes, it gets all over the floor.  No, we don't care.

 

We did a little writing outside this week, since the weather's been so gorgeous.  We have quite a bunch of prolific writers.

 

We also found this guy outside and followed him around while he visited all the flowers in the garden, pollinating his little heart out.  And yes, my class of four-year-olds know what pollination is and why it's important.  This is my plan to save the earth.  I also have a well-developed plan for world peace, so if you would like to know about that, message me.

 

 

We made pumpkin pie play dough this week, the kids are having fun with it already.  They love the smell.

 

Playing with pumpkin pictures on the light table and adding features to demonstrate different emotions.  

 

 

 We measured how many pumpkins tall we are....

 

We went on a spooky walk (which is very similar to a Bear Hunt).

 

Can I just point out how lucky we are to have all the grownups we have in our classroom each day?  These college students add so much to all that we do.  This is Ms. Elise, who works in our classroom twice a week and really brings something special to our classroom.  

 

 

Ms. Amanda is an intern in our classroom, and helps us all in so many ways.  

 

We also have three other interns, as well as our regular work study students, who have been in our classroom for years and help us do all the amazing things we are able to do with your children.  So, thanks!

 

 



 

Starting Our Space Study...

Overheard in the classroom:

Child, "Does anyone know whose paper this is?  They did NOT write their name on it.  What's the rule in EE5?"

Another Child, "It's TOTALLY not mine."

A third Child, "It's TOTALLY not mine either.  And the rule is...you write your name on your paper."

Original child, "Are you sure this is TOTALLY not yours?"

I can't make this stuff up.



Some of the kids were talking about the hurricane today, and it occurred to me that sometimes we don't understand stress in small children.  Think about all the preparation we all went through to get ready just in case this hurricane was bad, and how  your children may have viewed that preparation.  We all know that the hurricane didn't do much damage in our area, but the kids have no way of understanding that.  We don't know WHAT they think of any of these stressful situations.  So we gave them the opportunity to talk about it in our classroom, at our meeting (large group) and again at the writing center (small group).  I would encourage parents to do the same, just listening to what their impressions are.  Here are a couple of drawings from today about the hurricane...

 

Please notice all the swirling rain and wind.  This must have been very scary to them.  In the second picture, those shapes are trees flying around.  

 

We all did a little post-hurricane clean up out on the playground today, adding all the sticks and debris onto the compost pile.  The kids were really helpful.

 

 

 

In spite of the storms this weekend, we did come in to find MANY passion flowers blooming--red and purple.  Aren't they pretty?

 

We added a little micro-play to our science center today.  Our sensory bin is filled with black beans, planets, astronauts, rocks, space vehicles, and some other cool stuff.  It' was pretty popular today.

 

We did a little paint stamping with stars and spacemen and added a little glitter because "space is very sparkly", as one of my friends told me. 

 

Some friends used tiny blocks to build structures like the ones on the pictures.  This is a really good fine motor and problem-solving activity, and there is also some negotiation going on as well.  

Patterning with stars....

 

 





What If Your Child Only Wants to Play in One Center?

A parent asked me if they should be worried because their child spends a lot of time in a certain center.  Which got me thinking, maybe I should explain a little about how our centers work. 

Each of our centers is it's own little subject, which overlaps nicely with all the other centers.  For example, our science center is all about science and sensory experiences, but we have apple pie play dough there right now, which is directly related to our Apple Project, and playing with this play dough develops the muscles that will help your child write.  There are many things to sketch and write about in the science center, as well as tools that scientists use.

Each center has books related to that center.  Our block center has many books about building and vehicles and other related topics.  The art center has a basket of art books, some are picture books, some are informational.  And so on.

Each center also has writing materials.  We try very hard to encourage children to plan what they are going to do or build or create or work on, as well as representing what they see.  They love to make lists, write notes, write their friends names, write what they are eating, write labels, etc. in all the centers. 

So, if your child only seems to want to play with the blocks, just know that they are learning negotiation skills, planning what they want to build, cooperating with other children there, learning math skills (studies show that playing with blocks improves later math performance in children), learning about balance and shapes, language development, and so many other things I can't even list them all. 

I'm okay with that.
 

 

My (Teacher's) Heart is Full....

As I look around my classroom today at all the activities going on and the conversations going on and the fun we are all having, I just keep wondering about how I can do more.   How can I make these experiences more meaningful and beneficial for these kids that parents have entrusted me with?  How can I make that spark happen for each one of them?  How can I make sure they are open and ready for the world when I no longer see them every day?  (All this, keeping in mind that I am only human....sigh.)

This is what was going on as I had these thoughts....

• Art Center--Three children and a visiting teacher worked on recycled art.  They all worked together on ideas about how to do things. 
• Dramatic Play Center--Four children ran the Beauty Shop we have set up there (not all girls, either!).  Some were shampooing, one was adding hair extensions, and another was relaxing in the spa-like atmosphere.
• Light Table--two children were playing with Magna-Tiles, which are so pretty on the light table.  After they built their construction, they got out colored pencils and clipboards and sketched what they had built.
• Computer Center--Two children worked together on a rocket spelling game on the IPad.  They were listening to sounds and associating them with letters.
• Writing--Children came and went to the writing center with me today.  Today they were writing each other's names in their journals.  Each child is an expert at their own name, and checked carefully to be sure others were doing a good job with it.
• Igloo (Quiet Center)--we set up our igloo as a quiet center for two or three children to go and read or write quietly, and most of the children visit there daily at some time or another.  Today, two children gathered up a bunch of quilting stories and asked a college student to read them ALL to them.
• Math Center--I set up an activity where we used tangrams to set up quilt blocks (we are working on a class quilt for a fundraising event, and we are doing a short study on quilts).  We took pictures of the plans and will use them later to make paper quilts replicating the patterns.
• Happy music permeated the room, and here and there, people (teachers AND children) burst out in singing and dancing. 

I hope I never stop wondering how I can do and provide more for these children.

A Quick Glimpse into EE5

 

We are all about buildings and constructions these days...either from recycled materials, blocks, or whatever else we can get our hands on.  It started with our igloo.  We are building it with recycled milk jugs and hot glue.  That's it.  It's looking pretty good so far.  We will be using it as a private space to read or have a few minutes alone when it's done, meanwhile, the class is using it for all kinds of things....

 

 

 

 

We are experimenting with adding "loose parts" to our play.  After constructing some buildings on a street, these girls added a stone path (we read a lot of fairy tales...) to some of them.



 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, in the science center....we are observing some slides of insects through a microscope, and representing what we see

 

 

 

 

 

 

In dramatic play a child was very interested in a doctor's office visit that she had experienced, so we set up a doctor's office so the children could take care of the stuffed animals and baby dolls in our classroom (by popular vote). We made a list of the services that we want to offer, which include looking at their teeth, in their ears, checking out their tummies and paws, listening to their hearts, giving shots and medicine, and the best part is... everything costs $1.  That's a bargain for such quality care.

 

 

A patient waits in the waiting area.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Making paper airplanes is really great for fine motor skills and problem solving, cooperation, negotiation for materials, and they are fun too.

 

We made yummy smelling cherry play dough and added some glitter for some extra sensory fun.  Stop by and take a whiff... or sit and play with it. 

 

Art center...STILL loving the recycling basket for making things.

 

College student add so much to our classroom, this one is reading and discussing books with a couple of children.