Hi Everyone!
We hope that everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving break. Many of the children shared that they visited with cousins, grandparents and other family members and that they had a big feast together.
On Monday we had lots of time to play in the classroom and explore some of the new items on the science shelf, such as a bucket of magnets and magnet building sets. In addition, there is a looking bin filled with things to look through, such as a gyroscope, kaleidoscopes, magnifying glasses, binoculars and . We also spent a lot of time on the playground running and discovering 7 little dinosaurs buried in the sand box!
Aiken Drum danced his way back into our classroom on Tuesday. Aiken Drum is a man made from food, who lives in the Moon. We had great fun singing the song, while the children each made their own dancing puppet by selecting multiple food cut outs. They selected picture of a food item to represent a head, a body, arms, legs, and facial features. We also added a silver ladle to their creation. These colorful projects can be seen “hanging around” the Pre-K room.
Wednesday we joined the B3’s and the Kindergarten class for a special meeting about Hanukkah. Mrs. Patel read a story to us about the 8 nights when Hanukkah is celebrated and the 8 candles on the menorah. We learned about the helper candle called the shamash. Mrs. Patel brought from home her special wooden dove shaped menorah, and then lit the first candle with the shamash while singing the traditional blessing in Hebrew. She then taught us how to count to 8 in Hebrew! Mrs. Patel then showed us a bag full of dreidels. She explained that you play a game by spinning the dreidel. For snack we had latkes; simple fried potato pancakes with apple sauce for dipping. Everyone enjoyed this traditional snack.
There was too much rain for us to venture outside on Wednesday, so we made our own paper latke and fry pan flippers. The children colored their fry pans, traced and cut out their latke and had it assembled by a teacher. The game is to get your yummy latke to “fly” into your pan!
On Thursday, we formally introduced our study of “Peace.” We will talk about how it looks and feels to be peaceful, how we can solve our problems in a peaceful manner and how we can help take care of each other and spread peace. We shared with the children that we will be watching for them to “do good deeds” and do “random acts of kindness” to help one another in the coming weeks. We will record these acts and post them on a bulletin board for all to see. We also introduced our growing Amaryllis bulb. The children colored pictures of an Amaryllis the color they believe the flower will be when it blooms. We will also measure it everyday. The first measurement, recorded on Thursday, was 4 1/2 inches tall.
Friday was a cozy day in Preschool. The children dipped paper towel rolls into blue and silver paint to stamp collages of circles. We also spent extra time playing in the classroom before Dr. L. read stories to us in our classroom.
Our character of the week from Letterland was “Kicking King.” He is the King of Letterland, as well as a keen “football” player. We explained to the children that they call soccer “football” in England. They thought that was very amusing! In addition, he has a pet koala, kangaroo and some playful kittens. Next week, we will meet Lucy Lamplight. She has an amazing smile that lights up those around her.
Some of the Books we Read:
It’s Hanukkah! pictures by Santiago Cohen
Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah, by Sylvia A. Rouss
Tall Molly Lou Mellon, by Patty Lovell
My First Chanukah, by Tomie dePaola
The Magic Dreidels, by Eric A. Kimmel
Hannukah, by Roni Schotter
Snowmen All Year, by Caralyn Buehiner
Important Reminders:
- Please replenish your child’s supply of extra clothes.
- Young children need a variety of foods and plenty of them! We want to ensure that everyone has a full and content tummy!
- Water bottles are encouraged, as we can refill them when needed.
- Library Books need to be returned on Fridays.
- Older students have outdoor time until 12:40 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Please wait until that time to allow Preschool children to play on the playground, as this is the only time they have to be outdoors during their busy day.
- Please remember to enter the classroom via the Coat room and remove wet shoes and boots before entering the classrooms. This way our floors will stay dry. Thank you!
- Please remember that items that contain nuts, pesto or peanuts and need to be heated up, are labeled so that we can do so in an alternate microwave, as our Preschool/Kindergarten kitchen is nut-free.
Dates of Importance:
Have a wonderful weekend!
Ellie and Joni
