Hi Everyone!
We hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend. Many of the children had grandparents and other family members who were visiting from some distances. This is a great time of year to visit the Berkshires.
As I am getting to know the interests of your children better, I have introduced a few new activities to the children. This week, we introduced K’nex, which are small building toys, dominoes, small cars and play dough tools. We also have a large embroidery hoop fitted with a large piece of burlap. The children are sewing random patterns using different colored yarn and plastic needles. It is really developing into a beautiful work of art.
We continued our discussions about ourselves this week. We talked about the fact that no two people are exactly alike. In our group, we all have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, hair, etc… Each of our noses are just a little different in shape and size; some of us have brown hair, but not exactly the same shade of brown, nor the same hair style. On Tuesday, we made paper bag puppets of ourselves. A variety of shades of skin colored paper faces were available for children to glue on to brown paper bags. They drew on their faces with markers and added yarn for hair. Once dried, some of the children used their puppets to put on puppet shows.
During Morning Meeting on Tuesday, the children noticed that it was raining and pointed out that we would not be able to play outdoors. Someone suggested that we open the doors between the B3s and Pre K and play all together in both rooms. We composed a note inviting them to play with us after French and Music and we slid it under the door to the B3 classroom! When we received the note back through the the slit between the doors, the children were thrilled to see that the B3s wrote “Yes!” and “Thank you!” This was a fun process that models how we can communicate and gather information from one another by writing. We’ll be sure to do this again!
On Wednesday morning, second grade joined us for our first Peer Readers. Each of our students are teamed up with a second grade student. On our first day together, we listened to Mrs. Clausen tell us the story about Huggins and the Turnip. After the story, the Preschool students gave their partners a tour of our classroom spaces. We will have Peer Readers approximately two times per month. Mrs. Heady has been on a trip with some older students all week. The children had gym with Mrs. Piasecki and Mrs. Cromwell, who usually teaches art. Upon returning from Gym, we met a new character from Letterland. “Dippy Duck” lives in a duckpond in Letterland. His house is shaped like a door and he has many animals like deer, dogs, donkeys and dinosaurs, who like to visit the duckpond and dip their feet into the water. We made an impromptu trip to the Library in search of a dictionary to look up words that begin with “d” and Dippy Duck’s sound. We found dove, duck, dog, dandelion, dart, daredevil, dairy, dingy, ding, destroyer, dot and dizzy to name a few.
After lunch, we had a Mystery Guest Reader visit for storytime. Miss Broberg joined us and read three stories from The 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury. She read “Freight Trains,” “Chicka- Chicka, Boom-Boom” and a counting story. Miss Broberg also surprised us with beautifully decorated bookmarks to take home. Each week we will have a new Mystery Guest Reader from our BCD community.
On Thursday, we celebrated our first Star Day. Beatrice turned five years old in July. Her mom, Sonya, joined us for Morning Meeting. Beatrice has a dad, Bob, three sisters, Lila, Adeline and Miriam and two brothers, Oliver and Augustus. We learned that Beatrice was born on a sunny day in the summer. When she was a baby, she liked to play with balloons, string and she loved to dance. Now that she is five, among many things, she likes to play tricks on her sisters by taping the light switches and the toilet flushers! She brought a bag full of her favorite things, which included a singing penguin, a fish puppet, a collection of erasers, a hand held computer game and a rubber duck. Her mom read us a fun pop-up book version of “The Wheels on the Bus.” For an after lunch snack, we enjoyed melon, cheese sticks and whipped cream. Thank you for everything and Happy Star Day, Beatrice!
On Friday, we had our first finger painting experience. The children painted with glittery pink, orange and black. We also went to the Library. It was so nice to see Mr. Uhas. We had not been to the Library since October 5th. He had heard that we were planning a trip to the farm next week, so he put together a collection of farm books for us to look through.
Thank you to everyone who ordered from the Scholastics Book Order! The books were sent home today and our class libraries gained 15 free books!!! Happy reading and thank you for supporting our classes. Another order form will be sent home in late October or early November.
As stated in last week’s newsletter, we will be joining Kindergarten and taking a bus on our annual trip to Ioka Valley Farm’s pumpkin patch in Hancock, Massachusetts. We will leave BCD at 10:15am. We will then have a picnic lunch at the farm, visit the play yard, go to their petting zoo and then take a ride on the pumpkin wagon to get pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. If possible, please send your child’s lunch and lunch items in disposable containers. We should return to BCD by 1:30pm. So far, Deb Jaferian, Alex Ciejek and Jennifer Monier-Williams will be joining us on he field trip. Deb will be driving Charles and a B3 student. Alex and Jennifer will ride the bus with us.
Some of the Books We Read:
- The Napping House, by Audrey Wood and Don Wood
- The Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown and Leonard Weisgard
- Get Dressed! by Gwenyth Swain
- Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
- The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, by Mo Willems
- Leonardo the Terrible Monster, by Mo Willems
Notes to Remember:
Please replenish extra clothes as needed and update for growing children and colder weather.
Please be sure to send a backpack each day.
Please be sure to send appropriate outerwear for your child, as we go out
every morning.
Please be sure to send in appropriate flatware for your child(ren’s) lunch.
Please be sure to count socks with your child(ren) as you sort the laundry!
Dates to Note:
Tuesday, October 20th, Ioka Valley Farm, depart from BCD at 10:15am, return by
1:30pm.
Friday, October 23rd, Pizza Lunch
Saturday, October 24th, BCD Community Cares Day, details on MyBCD school
calendar
Thursday, October 29th, Preschool Halloween parade and party details TBA
Have a Great Weekend!
Ellie
