Hi Everyone,

This week we have initiated discussions and conversations about “Peace.”  We have talked about what peace means.  Suggestions included that we can have peaceful or calm bodies when we are resting or listening to stories.  We also talked about being kind to one another and taking care of each other.  On our bulletin board, we have posted a giant dove with the word “Peace” written on it.  As the children are observed being kind to someone, it is recorded on a small dove and posted on the board.  When a child earns a dove, they are very proud and happy to be recognized for their generosity.  We also decorated doves using all sorts of silver and white materials.  They, too, are fluttering around the Berkshire Room.

 

On Monday, Todd Allegretto joined us for the day as Mrs. Cooke could not be with us.  Mr. Allegretto has an extensive background and degree in Early Childhood Education and he teaches guitar.  We look forward to having him join us again.

On Tuesday, we met Kicking King from Letterland.  Kicking King loves to kick around a “football,” better known as a “soccer ball,” to us here in the States.  He is also very keen on his pets.  He has a kangaroo, a koala and some playful kittens.  He also enjoys playing with his kite.  Next week we will meet Lucy Lamplight who lights everything up with her smile.

For fun, we listened to the story, “Gingerbread Baby,” adapted by Jan Brett.  The children made their own Gingerbread Babies by gluing collage materials on paper gingerbread baby shapes.  We also enjoyed gingerbread people cookies after lunch.  You may see the Gingerbread Babies posted in the Berkshire Room.

 

We also continue our investigation of food, food groups and nutrition.  Using our pretend food, we have been playing a sorting game to learn the food groups.  Talking about various food groups while you are cooking, eating meals or even grocery shopping will support their learning experiences in this area.  Bread, pasta, bagels, rice, muffins, pancakes and waffles were some of the many foods we learned are a part of the Grain food group.  On Friday we glued all different shapes of dried pasta on to strips of paper.  Some children made designs and others created repeated patterns.  Next week we will talk more about the Protein food group.

 

 

In the previous two weeks, the children have made new self-portraits.  When initiating this activity, we review what it means to draw a self-portrait.  We talk about what to draw on our head, such as eyes, a nose, a mouth, hair and ears.  Then we talk about what are heads are attached to, our body, to which our arms and legs are attached.  Of course we shouldn’t forget our hands and feet!  Some children are at the level where they draw the details of their clothing.  Others draw a background scene.  Each time we draw these self-portraits new features, no matter how small, appear.

 

You may have remembered our experiment with snow and water from last week.  Over the weekend, someone did spill the water and we found our bucket empty.  Sadie and I decided to recreate the ice by putting more water in the bucket and placing it in the freezer.  Tuesday morning we brought it out and showed the rest of the class.  We know that water will freeze when it is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.  We wanted to find out what would happen when we warmed it up, so we put it in a pot on the hot stove as we ate our lunch.  We would periodically check the ice, which changed from ice to water and then to boiling water.  The children observed the steam rising from the hot water.  We checked additional times and noticed that there seemed to be less and less water.  Our last check revealed that all of the water had disappeared.  I shared that this was called “evaporation.”  On Thursday, we started reading The Secret of Water, by Masaru Emoto.  Although we may read only excerpts of this book, Masaru shared his interest and curiosity of water when he was just a child.  He goes on to say that we drink the same water that the dinosaurs drank millions of years ago!  He also talks about the importance of water to all living things.

Now that we have five students in Pre K, we are starting our day at Morning Meeting in the Berkshire Room.  We will continue to have time to sing together with the B3s during other times.  We have discovered that we have much to talk about and lots of interesting projects to work on.

Books We Have Read:

Gingerbread Baby, by Jan Brett

The Hat, by Jan Brett

The Three Snow Bears, by Jan Brett

Mossy, by Jan Brett (Donated to the Pre K collection by first grade student, Daniel C.  Thank you Daniel!)

Hedgie’s Surprise, by Jan Brett

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, by Marjorie Priceman

Pancakes, Pancakes!   by Eric Carle

 

I would also like to thank Neal V. and his family for donating the book Brothers and Sisters, by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page to our Pre K book collection.

Important Reminders:

  • Preschool goes outdoors each day.  Please be sure to send boots, snow pants, mittens, hats and warm jackets.
  • Please replenish extra clothes when necessary.  Children should have a full set of clothing, including socks, undergarments, shirts and pants. 
  • Leaving a sweatshirt or sweater for days that may be chilly indoors may help your child feel more comfortable.
  • Please be sure to send in a refillable drink container for us to fill with water.  In our efforts to be green, we try to refrain from using plastic cups.
  • Please be sure to send appropriate flatware in your child’s lunch.
  • Including a variety of snack items is encouraged for young growing children.
  • If your child needs to have an item warmed up, please be sure it is in a microwave safe container.
  • Leaving an extra pair of sneakers or other shoes in school is a good idea.
  • Please return Library books on Wednesdays.

Dates to remember:

Friday, December 14th, Pizza Lunch

Tuesday, December 18th, Preschool Winter Solstice Celebration

Wednesday, December 19th, Winter Break begins at 3:00pm, No Extended Day, No after school activities

Thursday, January 3rd, Classes Resume

Friday, January 4th, Ski- Friday, 12:45pm dismissal for full day Pre K students

Friday, January 11th, Pizza Lunch, Ski-Friday, 12:45pm dismissal for full day Pre K students

 

Warmest Regards,

Ellie