Hi all,
November is over and December is here - how do the days go by so quickly? If anyone has the answer please let us know. We have been very busy in Room 107. Our natural alphabet is complete and we have used some of the letters within the classroom to write our names and those of our friends. The children have made letters out of a wide variety of materials from the art studio, recyclables and natural materials like leaves, seashells, sticks and pebbles. They are looking for letters everywhere we go, and you can often hear questions like: "who has an "S" in their name, raise your hand!". We hope they are sharing this interest with all of you. The documentation panels regarding the letter study are beginning to go up within the classroom; please stop in and check them out.
We are thrilled to say that we now have 4 digital cameras in the classroom for the children to use. One camera package was donated by a morning parent (thank you , thank you, thank you), two cameras were given to us by our parent coordinator Ms. Joan and the fourth is an older model that we had in the room. The children have each taken a mini camera class with Ms. Amy and are enthusiastically snapping photos of the classroom, the teachers and their friends. They are experimenting with capturing their friends while sitting and while in motion, specific parts of each other's faces and taking pictures of one another simultaneously. We are letting them explore the properties of the cameras a bit more before we start focusing in on incorporating their photographic perspective into our studies.
We wanted to thank everyone who participated in our two parent activity days. The first, November 5th was our parent-child activity day where everyone worked on family memory books. The children (and staff!) love looking at them. If you have not had a chance to look at the books please feel free to stop in. Anyone that has not sent in their finished book please know that it is not too late. Then on November 18th parents were invited to come in and share their favorite family memory. Some of the stories and artwork are up in the hallways in a temporary display and the rest will be shown in the weeks to come. Again, it's not too late to share your story - stop in the room or shoot us an email and we will let you know the specifics.
If your child has come home in the last few days asking for money it is for a wonderful cause. Our classroom has chosen two children from the sharing tree and we are hoping to gather enough money to purchase the requested gift for each. The children are very excited about this; though some may be a bit confused. One child told his Mom that he needed $17 for Ms. Amy! Another thinks we are buying someone a new house.
Finally, please remember that we go outside every day, and the children need to be prepared for Chicago's unpredictable weather. A set of gloves, hat and scarf in each bookbag would be a wonderful idea. As the snow begins to fall boots and snow pants are a welcome sight as well. Please feel free to keep an extra set of slippers/crocs/gym shoes in your child's mailbox or bookbag to change into when they wear boots to school.
Up-Coming Events:
Thursday, December 17th - Pajama & Pizza day at Vick (more info to come)
- Family Sing a Long at the Ag School 6:30pm
Friday, December 18th - last day of school (pm only)
Monday, January 4, 2010 - Welcome back to school.
Happy Holidays to all! Amy, Mary, Joanne & Pam
Friday, December 4, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Parent-Child Activity Day
November 2, 2009
Dear Families,
This Thursday, November 5th is our first Parent-Child Activity day of the school year. We are very excited and are looking forward to spending this time dedicated to working with you and your child. We wanted to share our plan with you to ensure that everyone is prepared for a wonderful experience.
For the past several weeks we have been studying the image of the child. Some of the activities we have completed are: using hand mirrors to study our faces and draw ourselves, discussing our summer bags to learn more about one another and the types of things we like to do, finding out our whole name and the story behind it from our Moms and Dads, and learning about the letters that are in our names. Learning about the letters in our name has turned into a study of letters in our environment.
Through nature walks and delivering our flyers for our Halloween food collection the children have discovered letters of the alphabet wherever we go. The trees around Barbara Vick have given us V’s, W’s and X’s, railings on porches produce a G or an S, and wheels on cars or the tops of a fire hydrant give us the letter O. They have become so adept at finding letters that we have created a “natural alphabet” in our classroom for the children to use when spelling their names or other words. We will be using our “natural alphabet” as part of our Parent-Child Activity.
Our activity on Thursday will be to create family books that will be kept in our classroom for the remainder of the school year. The children LOVE to look at themselves and their families in any books that we have made in the past. In addition it is a great way for the children to learn about each other’s families.
Each family is asked to bring no more than 10 family photos no larger than 4x6 to put in their book. Please keep in mind that these books will not be returned until the end of the year so you might want to make copies of the photos. Also, we will do our best to make sure that no harm comes to the books while they are in our care but we know that they will be well-loved by the time they are sent home.
We will be using our natural alphabet to spell out each family’s name as the covers for all the books. If you care to bring in any stickers, mementos or other type of embellishment for inside your book please feel free to do so; otherwise all supplies will be provided in the classroom. We will have some alphabet stickers, paper cutters, die-cut shapes, decorative punches, journaling pens, etc. for your use.
Please remember that this one hour activity time is dedicated for you and your Barbara Vick child only. This hour counts as your child’s attendance for the day. Ask your child to help with the selection of the photos so that they are aware of what you will be working on together. We will be talking about this special day in class as well. We are looking forward to seeing all of our beautiful 107 family books! Any questions/comments/concerns please ask in class or email us at vickroom107@ameritech.net
Ms. Amy, Ms. Mary, Ms. Joanne & Ms. Pam
Dear Families,
This Thursday, November 5th is our first Parent-Child Activity day of the school year. We are very excited and are looking forward to spending this time dedicated to working with you and your child. We wanted to share our plan with you to ensure that everyone is prepared for a wonderful experience.
For the past several weeks we have been studying the image of the child. Some of the activities we have completed are: using hand mirrors to study our faces and draw ourselves, discussing our summer bags to learn more about one another and the types of things we like to do, finding out our whole name and the story behind it from our Moms and Dads, and learning about the letters that are in our names. Learning about the letters in our name has turned into a study of letters in our environment.
Through nature walks and delivering our flyers for our Halloween food collection the children have discovered letters of the alphabet wherever we go. The trees around Barbara Vick have given us V’s, W’s and X’s, railings on porches produce a G or an S, and wheels on cars or the tops of a fire hydrant give us the letter O. They have become so adept at finding letters that we have created a “natural alphabet” in our classroom for the children to use when spelling their names or other words. We will be using our “natural alphabet” as part of our Parent-Child Activity.
Our activity on Thursday will be to create family books that will be kept in our classroom for the remainder of the school year. The children LOVE to look at themselves and their families in any books that we have made in the past. In addition it is a great way for the children to learn about each other’s families.
Each family is asked to bring no more than 10 family photos no larger than 4x6 to put in their book. Please keep in mind that these books will not be returned until the end of the year so you might want to make copies of the photos. Also, we will do our best to make sure that no harm comes to the books while they are in our care but we know that they will be well-loved by the time they are sent home.
We will be using our natural alphabet to spell out each family’s name as the covers for all the books. If you care to bring in any stickers, mementos or other type of embellishment for inside your book please feel free to do so; otherwise all supplies will be provided in the classroom. We will have some alphabet stickers, paper cutters, die-cut shapes, decorative punches, journaling pens, etc. for your use.
Please remember that this one hour activity time is dedicated for you and your Barbara Vick child only. This hour counts as your child’s attendance for the day. Ask your child to help with the selection of the photos so that they are aware of what you will be working on together. We will be talking about this special day in class as well. We are looking forward to seeing all of our beautiful 107 family books! Any questions/comments/concerns please ask in class or email us at vickroom107@ameritech.net
Ms. Amy, Ms. Mary, Ms. Joanne & Ms. Pam
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Letters, Letters Everywhere!
We are well on our way into our exploration of our names and the letters in them. The children have been noticing letters everywhere they look. On our walks they are finding letters in trees, sticks, fences, leaves and even on the sidewalk! We are taking many photographs of our fabulous finds. Today we worked on "making" our names with materials throughout our classroom. (If you have any "extra" collage supplies hanging around we would love to take them off your hands!)
Thank you to everyone who (enthusiastically) responded to our request for information about your child's name. If you have not yet turned it in please do so very soon. We are going to start asking the children the same two questions that we asked you - we can't wait to hear their answers.
Also we wanted to thank everyone for your assistance in getting the Ages/Stages questionnaires completed so quickly. We really appreciate your cooperation.
Finally we wanted to thank everyone who has joined us as Guest Chef so far this year. It is such a wonderful way for our parents to get to know all the children in the class and have fun while doing so. The children really do love this activity and always remember each other's parents after they have visited us. The calendar for November is up - grab your chance while you can! If you have any questions about what to make with the kids please do not hesitate to talk with one of us - we are always happy to share ideas.
Thank you to everyone who (enthusiastically) responded to our request for information about your child's name. If you have not yet turned it in please do so very soon. We are going to start asking the children the same two questions that we asked you - we can't wait to hear their answers.
Also we wanted to thank everyone for your assistance in getting the Ages/Stages questionnaires completed so quickly. We really appreciate your cooperation.
Finally we wanted to thank everyone who has joined us as Guest Chef so far this year. It is such a wonderful way for our parents to get to know all the children in the class and have fun while doing so. The children really do love this activity and always remember each other's parents after they have visited us. The calendar for November is up - grab your chance while you can! If you have any questions about what to make with the kids please do not hesitate to talk with one of us - we are always happy to share ideas.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
We are Exploring....
A spider wandered into a classroom.... Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke! Actually it was the beginning of our first (possible) project of the school year. Tuesday morning a spider was found walking leisurly along the west wall of the classroom. After carefully capturing the spider a group of children and Ms. Amy took the spider outside to release him. Once the children began to talk about the spider and share their thoughts it was decided that we would take the spider back inside and learn more about it. Both the morning and afternoon classes shared their thoughts, fears and questions with us.
Here is a bit of what we talked about:
"Spiders can climb on walls." "Spiders walk on webs and go up and down." "Spiders have 8 legs" "Spiders can bite." "Spiders need good healthy food (like bugs) and drinks (like apple juice) and energy." "He needs air."
Unfortunately we did not consider the air factor yesterday when we were leaving school and our spider died. This of course opened up another area of conversation. We are currently on the hunt for another spider to study. We will keep you posted on how this proceeds.
We also wanted to say a great big THANK YOU to our first group of Guest Chefs. Last Wednesday Mr. Doug (Annie's Dad) came to make strawberry and apple mice and Ms. Brenda (Hanna's Mom) came to make personal pizzas with us - they were so brave to go first! And today we had Mr. Nick (Nick's Dad) make edible spiders and Ms. Margie made chocolate dipped pretzels and marshmallows - delicious! The October calendar is up - get a spot while they're available; they do go fast.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has tried to log in as a follower on the blog. Apparently there are some technical difficulties with this process. I am emailing the host to see what we can do to make it easier for everyone. Any questions, concerns, comments please feel free to leave a comment here or email us at vickroom107@ameritech.net . Thank you!
Here is a bit of what we talked about:
"Spiders can climb on walls." "Spiders walk on webs and go up and down." "Spiders have 8 legs" "Spiders can bite." "Spiders need good healthy food (like bugs) and drinks (like apple juice) and energy." "He needs air."
Unfortunately we did not consider the air factor yesterday when we were leaving school and our spider died. This of course opened up another area of conversation. We are currently on the hunt for another spider to study. We will keep you posted on how this proceeds.
We also wanted to say a great big THANK YOU to our first group of Guest Chefs. Last Wednesday Mr. Doug (Annie's Dad) came to make strawberry and apple mice and Ms. Brenda (Hanna's Mom) came to make personal pizzas with us - they were so brave to go first! And today we had Mr. Nick (Nick's Dad) make edible spiders and Ms. Margie made chocolate dipped pretzels and marshmallows - delicious! The October calendar is up - get a spot while they're available; they do go fast.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has tried to log in as a follower on the blog. Apparently there are some technical difficulties with this process. I am emailing the host to see what we can do to make it easier for everyone. Any questions, concerns, comments please feel free to leave a comment here or email us at vickroom107@ameritech.net . Thank you!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Week one well underway!
We have been in school for a few days now and we are all beginning to learn the schedule and a few of the classroom rules. Throughout these first two weeks we will really be concentrating on these skills in order to have a great year together. Our classroom was also chosen to be a part of a pilot program at Vick called "Calm Classroom". You will see the children practicing deep breathing, yoga poses and relaxation techniques. These practices help us relax, pause to take in our surroundings and gain a greater sense of focus on the tasks at hand. If anyone is interested in learning more about the program please let us know, we would be happy to share the information with you.
Please remember to join this blog as a follower so that we can begin to track how many families are accessing this communication tool on a regular basis. The classroom email address has also been set up; you will receive the information Wednesday at school and through an email later in the day on Wednesday. Please let us know if you do not receive it.
Thank You!
Please remember to join this blog as a follower so that we can begin to track how many families are accessing this communication tool on a regular basis. The classroom email address has also been set up; you will receive the information Wednesday at school and through an email later in the day on Wednesday. Please let us know if you do not receive it.
Thank You!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Welcome Back to School!
Hello to all of our Room 107 families! We are so happy to have seen all of you at school today. So many of our friends from last year have returned after spending the summer getting taller and taller. And it was very exciting to meet all of our new friends as well. We are happy to offer this forum for classroom communication again this year; we hope that many of our parents, grandparents or family members will use this as a tool for keeping up with classroom life and as a means of communicating with your child and our classroom staff.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Water Day Cancelled
Sorry, but due to rain and cool weather, tomorrow's water day is cancelled. We will check the weather forecast on Thursday to reschedule another day next week. Stay tuned.
David celebrated his 5th birthday in the morning class and brought M&M's for all! Happy Birthday David!
We made a few changes in our classroom this week. We now have a water table instead of a sand table. Water colors are put away and we switched to colored chalk. And the much missed playdough is back. All thanks to Ms. Joanne and Ms. Pam.
During small group, we practiced for Kindergarten by listening to directions and completed a worksheet. At meeting time we counted down to only 6 days left of school and heard everyone's announcements. We had apples for snack and played outside today.
Ms. Amy returns tomorrow from her family Colorado vacation. Ms. Mary was our substitute teacher. Ms. Pam was absent today.
Ms. Elma
David celebrated his 5th birthday in the morning class and brought M&M's for all! Happy Birthday David!
We made a few changes in our classroom this week. We now have a water table instead of a sand table. Water colors are put away and we switched to colored chalk. And the much missed playdough is back. All thanks to Ms. Joanne and Ms. Pam.
During small group, we practiced for Kindergarten by listening to directions and completed a worksheet. At meeting time we counted down to only 6 days left of school and heard everyone's announcements. We had apples for snack and played outside today.
Ms. Amy returns tomorrow from her family Colorado vacation. Ms. Mary was our substitute teacher. Ms. Pam was absent today.
Ms. Elma
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
What the Children Want To Do Before School Is Over!
With only 8 days of school left, the children have made a list of things they want to do before school ends for the summer (their bucket list). We have been crossing things off the list, but some things we will need your help in achieving. The scheduled main events that you need to know about are: they have requested an ice cream party, pizza day, popcorn and movies, pajama day, and water day.
Thursday 5/21- Ice Cream Party Day
Wednesday 5/27 - Water Day - wear swimsuits/sunscreen to school, bring towel w/name
Monday 6/1 - Pizza Day
Tuesday 6/2 - Pajama Day/Popcorn/Movie- wear pajamas to school
Wednesday 6/3 - Last Day of School
Friday- Vic 6/5 Vic-Nic
Families are invited to attend this event which is run and sponsored by the PTT. Since school is over, children are monitored by parents. Barbara Vick staff will be closing down the classrooms.
Today we had a Guest Chef in the morning class. Miss Llora and Bridget made us strawberry/granola parfaits. During center time both classes cut out butterflies, played with playdough and puzzles. During small group, we completed a math work sheet. To prepare the children for Kindergarten, we will be asking them to complete worksheets for the next 2 weeks. The afternoon class had bananas for snack.
No School on Friday and Monday. Ms. Amy will be enjoying the mountains of Colorado with her family until Tuesday. She promises to return for Water Day on Wednesday 5/27.
Ms. Elma
Thursday 5/21- Ice Cream Party Day
Wednesday 5/27 - Water Day - wear swimsuits/sunscreen to school, bring towel w/name
Monday 6/1 - Pizza Day
Tuesday 6/2 - Pajama Day/Popcorn/Movie- wear pajamas to school
Wednesday 6/3 - Last Day of School
Friday- Vic 6/5 Vic-Nic
Families are invited to attend this event which is run and sponsored by the PTT. Since school is over, children are monitored by parents. Barbara Vick staff will be closing down the classrooms.
Today we had a Guest Chef in the morning class. Miss Llora and Bridget made us strawberry/granola parfaits. During center time both classes cut out butterflies, played with playdough and puzzles. During small group, we completed a math work sheet. To prepare the children for Kindergarten, we will be asking them to complete worksheets for the next 2 weeks. The afternoon class had bananas for snack.
No School on Friday and Monday. Ms. Amy will be enjoying the mountains of Colorado with her family until Tuesday. She promises to return for Water Day on Wednesday 5/27.
Ms. Elma
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Dad's Day/Trike-A-Thon
Hi All,
I wanted to let everyone know the details for this Thursday: Dad's/Special Person Day and Trike-A-Thon. The children are allowed to bring their bikes/trikes/scooters and their helmets. Please have their name on both. We have talked a lot about bike safety and wearing helmets so I am sure they will tell you what they need. We are scheduled for the event at 9:50am for the morning class and 12:20pm for the afternoon. While we understand that our guests may not be able to stay the entire class session we do hope you can join us at those times - it makes everything run smoother when there is extra help! There will be signs on the fence in the front of school with our room number. Please help your child park their bike here when you arrive at school and place their helmet on the handlebars. This will make our trek across the street to Kennedy Park a bit easier. We do understand that many of our Dad's will not be able to make it on Thursday so we have been talking with the children about other alternatives: Mom/Grandma/Grandpa/Aunts/Uncles/BabySitter.... Any "special" adult in your child's life is welcome. There will also be treats in Ms. Joan's office for our guests - if you are able to make something to share please feel free to do so. This is always a fun day for the children and we hope to make it special for our guests as well. Please let me know if there are any questions. Thank you for your constant support & for sharing your children with us!
Ms. Amy
PS - thank you for all the books donated from the Book Fair! It closes Friday at noon.
I wanted to let everyone know the details for this Thursday: Dad's/Special Person Day and Trike-A-Thon. The children are allowed to bring their bikes/trikes/scooters and their helmets. Please have their name on both. We have talked a lot about bike safety and wearing helmets so I am sure they will tell you what they need. We are scheduled for the event at 9:50am for the morning class and 12:20pm for the afternoon. While we understand that our guests may not be able to stay the entire class session we do hope you can join us at those times - it makes everything run smoother when there is extra help! There will be signs on the fence in the front of school with our room number. Please help your child park their bike here when you arrive at school and place their helmet on the handlebars. This will make our trek across the street to Kennedy Park a bit easier. We do understand that many of our Dad's will not be able to make it on Thursday so we have been talking with the children about other alternatives: Mom/Grandma/Grandpa/Aunts/Uncles/BabySitter.... Any "special" adult in your child's life is welcome. There will also be treats in Ms. Joan's office for our guests - if you are able to make something to share please feel free to do so. This is always a fun day for the children and we hope to make it special for our guests as well. Please let me know if there are any questions. Thank you for your constant support & for sharing your children with us!
Ms. Amy
PS - thank you for all the books donated from the Book Fair! It closes Friday at noon.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Happy Mother's Day!
The children are very excited about celebrating Mother's Day! They have been sharing their plans for a wonderful day for Mom-- a day at the zoo, a birthday party for Mom, T-ball game, and breakfast in bed, and a cake. Hope the Dads are up for it!!! We hope the Moms have a wonderful Sunday and enjoy the present the children prepared for you in class. They love you so much!!!!
Today during meeting we discussed Mother's Day plans, and learned positional words to play our position bingo game. We completed our secret project during small group. Played position bingo during centers. For storytime we read the teacher appreciation book that the children created for us. We went outside to play. We had oranges for snack. Ms. Patrice was one of our teachers because Ms. Amy was out of the room working on portfolios, Ms. Joanne was out sick today.
Thank you to our Guest Chefs this week, AM Class-- Elias, Uncle Brian, Ms. Charlotte who made fruit shakes, and Declan and Ms. Patty for the frosted cupcakes. Declan's Dad also made a special appearance as Buzz Lightyear. Declan and Patrick celebrated their 5th birthday. Patrick donated a Buddha Board to our class which is a slate that allows you to paint with water. Thank You!
No class Friday! Dad's Day is Thursday May 14th.
Ms. Elma
Today during meeting we discussed Mother's Day plans, and learned positional words to play our position bingo game. We completed our secret project during small group. Played position bingo during centers. For storytime we read the teacher appreciation book that the children created for us. We went outside to play. We had oranges for snack. Ms. Patrice was one of our teachers because Ms. Amy was out of the room working on portfolios, Ms. Joanne was out sick today.
Thank you to our Guest Chefs this week, AM Class-- Elias, Uncle Brian, Ms. Charlotte who made fruit shakes, and Declan and Ms. Patty for the frosted cupcakes. Declan's Dad also made a special appearance as Buzz Lightyear. Declan and Patrick celebrated their 5th birthday. Patrick donated a Buddha Board to our class which is a slate that allows you to paint with water. Thank You!
No class Friday! Dad's Day is Thursday May 14th.
Ms. Elma
Monday, May 4, 2009
Let's Keep Healthy, Report Absences!
The best way for all of us to stay heathy and safe is to constantly wash our hands and stay home if you or your child are sick. Please be extra vigilant in calling the school if your child is absent, otherwise, Ms. Amy and I are required to call you at home to find out the reason your child is absent. We will also be asking you to describe the symptoms of your child's illness.
This week the children will be busy designing and working on a secret project for Mom! Shhhhhh. Today, during meeting we practiced counting and reading names. During small group, we worked on our secret project. In the a.m. class we read a book on Trains and sang Old McDonald Had a Rock and Roll Band, the p.m. class read Pinkaliscious and sang Color Farm. We went outside and rode bikes and had apples for snack.
Thank you to the PTT for a wonderful teacher appreciation breakfast. Thank you to parents for the cards, treats, and art work! We feel very appreciated.
Ms. Elma
This week the children will be busy designing and working on a secret project for Mom! Shhhhhh. Today, during meeting we practiced counting and reading names. During small group, we worked on our secret project. In the a.m. class we read a book on Trains and sang Old McDonald Had a Rock and Roll Band, the p.m. class read Pinkaliscious and sang Color Farm. We went outside and rode bikes and had apples for snack.
Thank you to the PTT for a wonderful teacher appreciation breakfast. Thank you to parents for the cards, treats, and art work! We feel very appreciated.
Ms. Elma
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Experimenting with wire.
Hello all,
Today was one of those crazy but fun days that happen every once in a while. Ms. Elma attended a full day training course and was not at school. We talked with the children about being "big enough" to help out around the classroom since we were short-handed. They were quite funny about it as you can imagine. We talked quite a bit about our trip yesterday; creating a curricular web with the knowledge they shared. We also began an exploration of a new medium - wire. We drew our designs (mostly trains) on small pieces of paper, chose type and size of wire to work with and began to create. Some of the children were able to replicate their drawing with the wire while others simply made whatever they wanted, different than their design. Either way they spent a great deal of time investigating the new medium and have requested that it be made available on a regular basis. Not everyone was able to work with the wire today, so it will be out over the next few weeks.
We celebrated Charlie's 5th birthday in the afternoon class with cupcakes - Yeah Charlie.
Thank you to Ms. Charlotte, Ms. Ann, Ms. Michelle and Ms. Kim for helping out in the classroom today! We are always grateful for an extra set of hands.
Finally, whether your child is returning to Vick next year or going on to Kindergarten you should have recieved a letter requesting some information. We need these returned ASAP. The letter for those leaving states the school that we have on record for your child and asks whether this is correct or not. By filling it in and returning it we are able to make sure that your child's records are transferred to the right school. For those staying with us next year we need to know which session you would prefer: AM/PM/Third Shift so that we can begin the lottery process for next year. Please make sure that you have recieved and returned the letter that applies to your child. Thanks!
Ms. Amy
Today was one of those crazy but fun days that happen every once in a while. Ms. Elma attended a full day training course and was not at school. We talked with the children about being "big enough" to help out around the classroom since we were short-handed. They were quite funny about it as you can imagine. We talked quite a bit about our trip yesterday; creating a curricular web with the knowledge they shared. We also began an exploration of a new medium - wire. We drew our designs (mostly trains) on small pieces of paper, chose type and size of wire to work with and began to create. Some of the children were able to replicate their drawing with the wire while others simply made whatever they wanted, different than their design. Either way they spent a great deal of time investigating the new medium and have requested that it be made available on a regular basis. Not everyone was able to work with the wire today, so it will be out over the next few weeks.
We celebrated Charlie's 5th birthday in the afternoon class with cupcakes - Yeah Charlie.
Thank you to Ms. Charlotte, Ms. Ann, Ms. Michelle and Ms. Kim for helping out in the classroom today! We are always grateful for an extra set of hands.
Finally, whether your child is returning to Vick next year or going on to Kindergarten you should have recieved a letter requesting some information. We need these returned ASAP. The letter for those leaving states the school that we have on record for your child and asks whether this is correct or not. By filling it in and returning it we are able to make sure that your child's records are transferred to the right school. For those staying with us next year we need to know which session you would prefer: AM/PM/Third Shift so that we can begin the lottery process for next year. Please make sure that you have recieved and returned the letter that applies to your child. Thanks!
Ms. Amy
Monday, April 27, 2009
Post- Anniversary Party and Trains
Whew!!! finally, back on the blog. I apologize for not updating the blog, but we have been very busy preparing the school and classroom for our 10 Year Anniversary. Nothing like a party to get everyone energized to spruce up the place. We hope you notice the improvements made in the garden, hallway, and classrooms. Our school looks phenomenal!
The next two weeks, we will be learning about trains. Today, we talked about different kind of trains: freight, passenger trains, subway, commuter, and locomotives. If anybody knows any conductors, train engineers, or train enthusiast who would like to come speak in our classroom please let us know.
Our Train Field Trip is on Wednesday 4/29. We will be taking a bus to the 111th st. station and a round trip train ride to the Tinley Park station. PLEASE BE ON TIME. We have a train to catch! We will be unable to wait for anyone.
Today we read the book- Train, played games during small group, added two new jobs to our job chart---- door caller (name caller during pick-up) and counter (count # children ), and had bananas and left over Anniversary Cake for snack.
Ms. Elma
The next two weeks, we will be learning about trains. Today, we talked about different kind of trains: freight, passenger trains, subway, commuter, and locomotives. If anybody knows any conductors, train engineers, or train enthusiast who would like to come speak in our classroom please let us know.
Our Train Field Trip is on Wednesday 4/29. We will be taking a bus to the 111th st. station and a round trip train ride to the Tinley Park station. PLEASE BE ON TIME. We have a train to catch! We will be unable to wait for anyone.
Today we read the book- Train, played games during small group, added two new jobs to our job chart---- door caller (name caller during pick-up) and counter (count # children ), and had bananas and left over Anniversary Cake for snack.
Ms. Elma
Monday, April 20, 2009
10 Year Anniversary- Friday 3-5pm
This week in class we will be talking about our School's 10 Year Anniversary. The children made invitations today. We will be decorating our classroom with a banner, and voting on what color flowers and balloons we will have for our classroom refreshment table. On Friday, we will be serving cake and cookies! There will be dancing in the playground with Mr. Ed DJ'ing the top hits of Barbara Vick. I wonder how many times Freeze Dance will be played?
We hope your entire family can join in our celebration. If you know any past alumni of Barbara Vick School, please spread the word and invite them to our 10 Year Anniversary.
We celebrated Bridget's 4th birthday today in the morning class! She donated the book, Purpleliscious and handed out gold fish treats, thank you! Both AM and PM class chose Purpleliscious for story time. We sang/danced to Baby Fish (AM) and Sticky Bubblegum (PM).
Please come in and view our new Clay Exhibit. The exhibit showcases sculptures that the children created independently. We will continue to offer clay/sculpting as a choice during center time. Not all have chosen to sculpt but we will continue to encourage everyone to participate. Working with clay is very challenging because it requires technique and finger strength and finger control, skills needed for writing. Please encourage or ask your child if he/or she has made a sculpture.
Ms. Elma
We hope your entire family can join in our celebration. If you know any past alumni of Barbara Vick School, please spread the word and invite them to our 10 Year Anniversary.
We celebrated Bridget's 4th birthday today in the morning class! She donated the book, Purpleliscious and handed out gold fish treats, thank you! Both AM and PM class chose Purpleliscious for story time. We sang/danced to Baby Fish (AM) and Sticky Bubblegum (PM).
Please come in and view our new Clay Exhibit. The exhibit showcases sculptures that the children created independently. We will continue to offer clay/sculpting as a choice during center time. Not all have chosen to sculpt but we will continue to encourage everyone to participate. Working with clay is very challenging because it requires technique and finger strength and finger control, skills needed for writing. Please encourage or ask your child if he/or she has made a sculpture.
Ms. Elma
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Spring Is Here!
Thank you to Mr. Scott and Jordan in the afternoon class for being our Guest Chefs yesterday. The class really enjoyed the fluffy fruit salad prepared for us. We have extended Guest Chefs till May at the request of some parents who were unable to sign-up. There is a new Guest Chef sign-up for May outside the classroom door.
We celebrated Andrea's 5th birthday in the morning class with an outdoor cookie party! We enjoyed the beautiful day riding bikes outdoors. The children noticed that our garden flowers are blooming and we have been spotting red robins. During small group Wed/Thur we have been playing letter bingo, position bingo, and teddy bear matching. We continue to work on painting our sun catchers in the art studio. We had bananas for snack today.
Thank you for returning field trip permission slips. We have 2 more chaperon openings in each class. Remember permission slips are due by 4/24. On Friday there will be class for the AM class. Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!
Ms. Elma
We celebrated Andrea's 5th birthday in the morning class with an outdoor cookie party! We enjoyed the beautiful day riding bikes outdoors. The children noticed that our garden flowers are blooming and we have been spotting red robins. During small group Wed/Thur we have been playing letter bingo, position bingo, and teddy bear matching. We continue to work on painting our sun catchers in the art studio. We had bananas for snack today.
Thank you for returning field trip permission slips. We have 2 more chaperon openings in each class. Remember permission slips are due by 4/24. On Friday there will be class for the AM class. Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!
Ms. Elma
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Designing Sun Catchers
Today during meeting time, we counted the number of children on the top risers and bottom risers. We practiced how to count----reminders we used: count slowly, do not skip numbers, remember your number order, count things one at a time.
During small group, we worked on designing our sun catchers. The children worked on their design yesterday and today. The next 2-3 days we will be painting the sun catchers in the art studio using acrylic paint. The children will choose which design to use. Ask your child what design he/she created? We learned the word transparent- something you can see through.
During story time and music the morning class chose to read, Good Night Gorilla and sang, Color Farm. The afternoon class read, Mary Had A Little Lamp and danced to 5 Little Fish.
Field Trip permission slips were distributed in the children's mailboxes. Please sign and return. We are taking a Metra Train Ride on Wed. 4/29 during regular school hours. Children are free, $5 for adult chaperones . We can have 5 chaperones per class.
We went for a nature walk in the morning and played outside in the afternoon. We had strawberries for snack.
Ms. Elma
During small group, we worked on designing our sun catchers. The children worked on their design yesterday and today. The next 2-3 days we will be painting the sun catchers in the art studio using acrylic paint. The children will choose which design to use. Ask your child what design he/she created? We learned the word transparent- something you can see through.
During story time and music the morning class chose to read, Good Night Gorilla and sang, Color Farm. The afternoon class read, Mary Had A Little Lamp and danced to 5 Little Fish.
Field Trip permission slips were distributed in the children's mailboxes. Please sign and return. We are taking a Metra Train Ride on Wed. 4/29 during regular school hours. Children are free, $5 for adult chaperones . We can have 5 chaperones per class.
We went for a nature walk in the morning and played outside in the afternoon. We had strawberries for snack.
Ms. Elma
Monday, April 13, 2009
Monday, April 13th
Hello 107!
Well, despite the yucky, rainy weather I am very excited to be back at school. Where else can I get hugs all day and have people so excited to see me? Needless to say I am thrilled to see everyone again. The children immediately re-introduced me to life in our busy classroom by filling me in on everything that I've missed - and I mean EVERYTHING. A few children continued to speak for the entire 2 1/2 hours of class. I found out that we have 3 new babies in our afternoon class and that they are all boys! Congratulations to the families of Meghan, PJ and Spencer. I met our newest class member Sydney; she seems to fit right in. I heard all about the birthdays that I missed in both classes and have gotten a sneak peek at all of their artistic endeavors over the past few months. I am looking forward to planning our next project based on the interests that the children have expressed recently.
Thank you for all the kind thoughts and beautiful gifts for Nora Elizabeth. She is doing very well. She already weighs over 13 pounds and is a very happy baby. We are extremely lucky to welcome her into our family. Aidan and Hannah are wonderful siblings and have been very good to the baby and Mom.
The children enjoyed bananas with Ms. Joanne for nutrtion today.
Ms. Amy
Well, despite the yucky, rainy weather I am very excited to be back at school. Where else can I get hugs all day and have people so excited to see me? Needless to say I am thrilled to see everyone again. The children immediately re-introduced me to life in our busy classroom by filling me in on everything that I've missed - and I mean EVERYTHING. A few children continued to speak for the entire 2 1/2 hours of class. I found out that we have 3 new babies in our afternoon class and that they are all boys! Congratulations to the families of Meghan, PJ and Spencer. I met our newest class member Sydney; she seems to fit right in. I heard all about the birthdays that I missed in both classes and have gotten a sneak peek at all of their artistic endeavors over the past few months. I am looking forward to planning our next project based on the interests that the children have expressed recently.
Thank you for all the kind thoughts and beautiful gifts for Nora Elizabeth. She is doing very well. She already weighs over 13 pounds and is a very happy baby. We are extremely lucky to welcome her into our family. Aidan and Hannah are wonderful siblings and have been very good to the baby and Mom.
The children enjoyed bananas with Ms. Joanne for nutrtion today.
Ms. Amy
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Goodbye Room 107!!
Since mid-October, I have had the privilege of working with your children. I can honestly say it has been the most beneficial experience for me...and my first "real teaching job"! I am sad to leave, as each and every child has touched my heart. Some children have asked me "Will you remember me?", and my answer is "Absolutely!" They have also been asking if I will be going to their Kindergarten class next year, or the schools where their siblings are. We told them to put in a good word for me if they hear of any job openings! :-)
Throughout my experience, I have been thoroughly amazed at the depth of knowledge these young children have! I hope that I have taught them as much as they have taught me!
I have not only been able to develop positive relationships with your children, but with some of you as well. What a great school environment that I had the opportunity to interact with many of you on a daily basis! Thank you for welcoming me into your classroom in October, congratulating me on my graduation in December, and wishing me well now that I am moving on. Your thoughts and well wishes are greatly appreciated!
Today we had a going away party with delicious ice-cream sundaes and a goodbye song. I received so many pictures and cards from the children, as well as a book in which each child made their own page, with a picture and message to me. I promised the children that I would read it when I got lonely and missed everyone from Room 107.
I hope to see everyone around, maybe subbing once in a while!
Goodbye Room 107, I'll miss you!!
Love,
Miss Gina
Throughout my experience, I have been thoroughly amazed at the depth of knowledge these young children have! I hope that I have taught them as much as they have taught me!
I have not only been able to develop positive relationships with your children, but with some of you as well. What a great school environment that I had the opportunity to interact with many of you on a daily basis! Thank you for welcoming me into your classroom in October, congratulating me on my graduation in December, and wishing me well now that I am moving on. Your thoughts and well wishes are greatly appreciated!
Today we had a going away party with delicious ice-cream sundaes and a goodbye song. I received so many pictures and cards from the children, as well as a book in which each child made their own page, with a picture and message to me. I promised the children that I would read it when I got lonely and missed everyone from Room 107.
I hope to see everyone around, maybe subbing once in a while!
Goodbye Room 107, I'll miss you!!
Love,
Miss Gina
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Schedule Reminders
No school for all Wednesday 4/1. No report cards or conferences. Portfolios will be distributed in June. Please make sure you have returned your child's portfolios. We are adding new reports and sheets to them. I am still waiting for 3 portfolios!
Thursday 4/2 is Ms. Gina's party. Her last day is Friday. On Friday 4/3, morning class has school. All have next week off for spring break. Ms. Amy will be back after spring break.
Ms. Elma
Thursday 4/2 is Ms. Gina's party. Her last day is Friday. On Friday 4/3, morning class has school. All have next week off for spring break. Ms. Amy will be back after spring break.
Ms. Elma
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday 3/30 Happy Birthday Jordan and Ethan!
Today we returned to our exploration of clay. We asked the children the following questions: What do you know about clay? Where does clay come from? We recorded their answers. Then we gave them some general information about clay....... that clay comes from the ground and then processed in the factory.... clay was first used a long time ago when people needed to make glasses to drink out of and pots to cook in.
We will have clay available all week for students to create a sculpture if they wish. Since this is our second exploration of clay, most of the children have learned good techniques and are rolling balls, and snakes, and connecting and molding pieces together. Tomorrow we will introduce how to draw on clay. Soon we should have another exhibit of the children's exploration of clay. Please encourage your child to create a sculpture in class.
In the morning class, Patrick's Mom, Ms. Carly gave another yoga relaxation lesson. This is the fourth or fifth time Ms. Carly has come into our classroom. She is teaching us varied relaxation exercises such as relaxation breathing and meditation to provoke a general sense of calm and wellness. Eden returned from her vacation in Florida and the Magic Kingdom and brought everyone a seashell from Seashell Island! Thanks Eden for the shells and Thanks to Ms. Carly for the Yoga lessons.
In the afternoon class, we celebrated 2 birthdays with double cupcakes from Jordan-4 and Ethan-5. We will be eating cupcakes today and tomorrow. Yippeee! Congratulations to Spencer, and proud parents Robin and Lehman who welcomed a little brother, Landon this weekend. This is our third baby in the afternoon class! A big thank you to Patrick who brought oranges for everybody that he hand picked from his grandparents yard in Arizona! They were so juicy!
Just a reminder, that there will be no school on Wednesday, 4/1 for citywide report card pick-up. FYI, in the prek level we use portfolios and not report cards, so there will be no report cards distributed on Wednesday. But we will be sharing portfolios again in June. The teachers will be working on portfolios Wednesday.
Ms. Elma
We will have clay available all week for students to create a sculpture if they wish. Since this is our second exploration of clay, most of the children have learned good techniques and are rolling balls, and snakes, and connecting and molding pieces together. Tomorrow we will introduce how to draw on clay. Soon we should have another exhibit of the children's exploration of clay. Please encourage your child to create a sculpture in class.
In the morning class, Patrick's Mom, Ms. Carly gave another yoga relaxation lesson. This is the fourth or fifth time Ms. Carly has come into our classroom. She is teaching us varied relaxation exercises such as relaxation breathing and meditation to provoke a general sense of calm and wellness. Eden returned from her vacation in Florida and the Magic Kingdom and brought everyone a seashell from Seashell Island! Thanks Eden for the shells and Thanks to Ms. Carly for the Yoga lessons.
In the afternoon class, we celebrated 2 birthdays with double cupcakes from Jordan-4 and Ethan-5. We will be eating cupcakes today and tomorrow. Yippeee! Congratulations to Spencer, and proud parents Robin and Lehman who welcomed a little brother, Landon this weekend. This is our third baby in the afternoon class! A big thank you to Patrick who brought oranges for everybody that he hand picked from his grandparents yard in Arizona! They were so juicy!
Just a reminder, that there will be no school on Wednesday, 4/1 for citywide report card pick-up. FYI, in the prek level we use portfolios and not report cards, so there will be no report cards distributed on Wednesday. But we will be sharing portfolios again in June. The teachers will be working on portfolios Wednesday.
Ms. Elma
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Yummy Wednesday, Hurray for Guest Chefs!!!!
At the Room 107 Cordon Bleu Cooking School today, the morning Chefs, Billy and Ms. Denise made us an assortment of fancy fruit dip, and onion dip with crudites, and strawberries, pretzels, and baked chips. The afternoon Chefs, Nate and Ms. Kelly must have just flown in from France because they made us crepes with butter and syrup using a fancy crepe pan! Oooo, la,la! We have 2 more Guest Chef spots open in April, don't miss this chance to make your child feel special.
Today at small group, we practiced writing our numbers 1 to 6. During centers, we offered water coloring at the table, and invited children to create a mural to welcome spring. At story time, we read the book- Mouse's First Spring. I'm afraid that some of the children might want to dig up earthworms, which baby mouse discovered in the story.
The morning class took home their sign-in sheet today. Remember no afternoon class this Thursday and no school for all on Friday.
Next week, we will be saying our goodbyes to Ms. Gina. Ms. Gina started in our class in October as our student teacher, and stayed as Ms. Amy's temporary replacement. Personally, she has my enormous gratitude. Her continued presence in the classroom has allowed a seamless transition for the children. She has been a kind and terrific teacher to your children. We will miss her terribly. Her last day will be Friday 4/3 and we are having an ice cream sundae party in her honor on Thursday 4/2.
Ms. Elma
Today at small group, we practiced writing our numbers 1 to 6. During centers, we offered water coloring at the table, and invited children to create a mural to welcome spring. At story time, we read the book- Mouse's First Spring. I'm afraid that some of the children might want to dig up earthworms, which baby mouse discovered in the story.
The morning class took home their sign-in sheet today. Remember no afternoon class this Thursday and no school for all on Friday.
Next week, we will be saying our goodbyes to Ms. Gina. Ms. Gina started in our class in October as our student teacher, and stayed as Ms. Amy's temporary replacement. Personally, she has my enormous gratitude. Her continued presence in the classroom has allowed a seamless transition for the children. She has been a kind and terrific teacher to your children. We will miss her terribly. Her last day will be Friday 4/3 and we are having an ice cream sundae party in her honor on Thursday 4/2.
Ms. Elma
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday- March 24th
On Thursday 3/26, there will be no school for the afternoon class. It is a professional development afternoon, for teachers. On Friday, no school for both morning and afternoon.
At meeting today, we talked about Spring. We spelled out the word and introduced the ng blend sound at the end of the word. The children shared their homework, and each child talked about the signs of spring they noticed. We talked about activities that could be done now that it is spring. Several of the children want to fly a kite, play soccer, swing on swings, wear raincoats and wear short sleeves and shorts. Some commented that they grew and got bigger.
At small group, we practiced quantifying to 10 and identifying numbers with unifix cubes. During center time, we prepared invitations for our school's 10 Year Anniversary Party which will be on April 24th from 3-5pm. Please spread the word and all are invited to come. We are especially looking for past prek alumni students. We went outside to play today, and the morning class took pictures of signs of spring in our school garden. We had cantaloupe for snack.
Ms. Elma
At meeting today, we talked about Spring. We spelled out the word and introduced the ng blend sound at the end of the word. The children shared their homework, and each child talked about the signs of spring they noticed. We talked about activities that could be done now that it is spring. Several of the children want to fly a kite, play soccer, swing on swings, wear raincoats and wear short sleeves and shorts. Some commented that they grew and got bigger.
At small group, we practiced quantifying to 10 and identifying numbers with unifix cubes. During center time, we prepared invitations for our school's 10 Year Anniversary Party which will be on April 24th from 3-5pm. Please spread the word and all are invited to come. We are especially looking for past prek alumni students. We went outside to play today, and the morning class took pictures of signs of spring in our school garden. We had cantaloupe for snack.
Ms. Elma
Monday, March 23, 2009
Happy Spring- Monday
Today we began our signing-in process. Starting this week, the children will have to write their name on a sign-in sheet everyday. The children have been working on writing their name since January and are now ready to do it on their own. When you drop your child off, you can remind your child to make sure and sign-in!
At meeting time today, we continued our discussion of Abiyoyo. The children were asked the challenge question: What happened to Abiyoyo when he disappeared? At small group, we recorded their answers and the children drew pictures of where Abiyoyo went after he disappeared. During center time, the children were invited to make a magic wand to take home. At story time, we read a book about seasons---Spring. We discussed signs of spring. The children were given homework: Please look for signs of spring when you go home. During meeting tomorrow, we will be discussing signs of spring they noticed at home. The morning class did not go outside today because of the rain. In the afternoon, we were able to go outside, and we took pictures of signs of spring in school garden. We had apples for snack.
Congratulations to Meghan who has a baby brother-Timothy, born Friday!
Ms. Elma
At meeting time today, we continued our discussion of Abiyoyo. The children were asked the challenge question: What happened to Abiyoyo when he disappeared? At small group, we recorded their answers and the children drew pictures of where Abiyoyo went after he disappeared. During center time, the children were invited to make a magic wand to take home. At story time, we read a book about seasons---Spring. We discussed signs of spring. The children were given homework: Please look for signs of spring when you go home. During meeting tomorrow, we will be discussing signs of spring they noticed at home. The morning class did not go outside today because of the rain. In the afternoon, we were able to go outside, and we took pictures of signs of spring in school garden. We had apples for snack.
Congratulations to Meghan who has a baby brother-Timothy, born Friday!
Ms. Elma
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Goodbye Ms. Candy
Today we said goodbye to our music teacher Ms. Candy. Our school had contracted Ms. Candy to expose our children to Fine Arts. Each Thursday, Ms. Candy had been coming to our class with her guitar and together we sang songs, played instruments, and swayed and clapped to numerous activities. Ms. Candy also brought us books that we would sing together. We will miss her.
To help the children say goodbye, we invited them to write/make thank you cards for Ms. Candy. We are very proud of the writing skills they demonstrated. Most knew that her name started with the letter C and were able to write her name and sign the card they made.
In the morning class, Patrick made shamrocks on a stick for all his friends. In the afternoon class, Elizabeth proudly brought a DVD of Chicka, Chicka, Boom,Boom from the library. We had been working on our letter partners last week and the children were excited to watch for their letters in the 10 minute story-DVD. Thanks- Patrick and Elizabeth.
We had strawberries for snack and went outside today.
Ms. Elma
To help the children say goodbye, we invited them to write/make thank you cards for Ms. Candy. We are very proud of the writing skills they demonstrated. Most knew that her name started with the letter C and were able to write her name and sign the card they made.
In the morning class, Patrick made shamrocks on a stick for all his friends. In the afternoon class, Elizabeth proudly brought a DVD of Chicka, Chicka, Boom,Boom from the library. We had been working on our letter partners last week and the children were excited to watch for their letters in the 10 minute story-DVD. Thanks- Patrick and Elizabeth.
We had strawberries for snack and went outside today.
Ms. Elma
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wednesday - Guest Chefs
The highlight of our day were our two guest chefs. In the morning class, Matthew and his Dad, Mr. Matt prepared banana dogs?????-------bananas in hot dog buns with marshmallow fluff, chocolate or strawberry syrup, and raisin toppings! I tried one and it was Surprisingly delicious! In the afternoon class, Elizabeth and her Mom, Ms. Maura prepared refreshing strawberry banana smoothies! Yummmm. Thank you
At meeting time, we continued asking the children what they would wish for. Almost all made wishes like only children can......you must ask your child what they wished for. During small group, we listened to soft classical music while drawing, then switched to drawing to rock and roll music(freeze dance). We were amazed at how the music affected the children. There were responses of calm and concentrated drawing, and times of lively and rhythmic drawing. During storytime, we read several books including Abiyoyo and worked on story recall skills and practiced our vocabulary words of ostracize and ukulele. At music, we shadow danced to many songs including the freeze dance and 5 little fish.
Ms. Elma
At meeting time, we continued asking the children what they would wish for. Almost all made wishes like only children can......you must ask your child what they wished for. During small group, we listened to soft classical music while drawing, then switched to drawing to rock and roll music(freeze dance). We were amazed at how the music affected the children. There were responses of calm and concentrated drawing, and times of lively and rhythmic drawing. During storytime, we read several books including Abiyoyo and worked on story recall skills and practiced our vocabulary words of ostracize and ukulele. At music, we shadow danced to many songs including the freeze dance and 5 little fish.
Ms. Elma
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Tuesday- St. Patrick's Day
Our new morning song asks the children to "close your eyes and make a wish just for today..." After we sang the morning song, we asked the children if they wished for anything, here are some of their wishes:
Andrea"I wish we could go to the waterpark.", Matthew E. "I wish today could be the day for my Dad to be Guest Chef!", Elias"I wish the world was made of fruit snacks!" , Billy " I wish I was on a bulldozer with my Dad", Meghan " I wish I had long hair.", several girls--Solana, Jordan, Lexi, and Elizabeth wished for a "Rapunzel doll with long hair??????? " Spencer "I wish I had on my Batman suit.", Joseph B. "I wish I was riding a tank". Even the teachers longingly wished---Ms. Pam "Wish I was in Hawaii.", Ms. Gina "I wish I had a puppy."
At storytime we reread Abiyoyo. We identified the characters in the story and spelled out the characters names. In small group we continued to discuss the problems in the story and some possible solutions. There were wonderful, imaginative ideas that the children thought of and the teachers recorded the responses.
We went outside to enjoy the sunshine and the bicycles. We had bananas for snack. Please come into our classroom to view an exhibit on Letter Partners!
Ms. Elma
Andrea"I wish we could go to the waterpark.", Matthew E. "I wish today could be the day for my Dad to be Guest Chef!", Elias"I wish the world was made of fruit snacks!" , Billy " I wish I was on a bulldozer with my Dad", Meghan " I wish I had long hair.", several girls--Solana, Jordan, Lexi, and Elizabeth wished for a "Rapunzel doll with long hair??????? " Spencer "I wish I had on my Batman suit.", Joseph B. "I wish I was riding a tank". Even the teachers longingly wished---Ms. Pam "Wish I was in Hawaii.", Ms. Gina "I wish I had a puppy."
At storytime we reread Abiyoyo. We identified the characters in the story and spelled out the characters names. In small group we continued to discuss the problems in the story and some possible solutions. There were wonderful, imaginative ideas that the children thought of and the teachers recorded the responses.
We went outside to enjoy the sunshine and the bicycles. We had bananas for snack. Please come into our classroom to view an exhibit on Letter Partners!
Ms. Elma
Monday, March 16, 2009
Happy Monday-Post Parade Day
Today during meeting, the children were all abuzz about the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Some children were in the parade--Billy (Dad called me "lazybones"), Nate"I was on a float", Rosie " I rode on a horse?" Others saw each other at the parade and all loved getting candy. A few other comments.....Patrick (pm) said " We had to walk a really long way and people were throwing garbage on the street!", Maura " I saw Ms. Amy, she looked cute!" Nate thoughtfully brought his pm friends suckers left-over from the float he rode.
We learned a new morning song " Clap your hands to start the day with fun and music as we say Good Morning....." The children clap along, stretch arms, snap their fingers, and sway to the music. Discussion on Abiyoyo has started after book reading. We are learning to use the words ostracize, village, and ukulele. Discussions about real/make believe and problems the children have thought about in the story such as Abiyoyo's poor hygiene and eating of animals are being discussed in small group. We had the shadow wall up with the children wearing St. Patrick's Day hats while singing their version of the Abiyoyo song. We wrote, spelled, and sounded out the words St. Patrick's Day Parade. Several children constructed shamrocks with white hearts that had been placed in the art cart. The children spent at least 30 minutes outside enjoying the sunshine and riding the trikes. We had oranges for snack.
Until tomorrow,
Ms. Elma
We learned a new morning song " Clap your hands to start the day with fun and music as we say Good Morning....." The children clap along, stretch arms, snap their fingers, and sway to the music. Discussion on Abiyoyo has started after book reading. We are learning to use the words ostracize, village, and ukulele. Discussions about real/make believe and problems the children have thought about in the story such as Abiyoyo's poor hygiene and eating of animals are being discussed in small group. We had the shadow wall up with the children wearing St. Patrick's Day hats while singing their version of the Abiyoyo song. We wrote, spelled, and sounded out the words St. Patrick's Day Parade. Several children constructed shamrocks with white hearts that had been placed in the art cart. The children spent at least 30 minutes outside enjoying the sunshine and riding the trikes. We had oranges for snack.
Until tomorrow,
Ms. Elma
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Abiyoyo
Next week, we are reading the book Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger. This book is based on a South African lullaby and folk story. In the book, the characters are Abiyoyo- a mythical giant, a father with a magical wand, and his son. In the next two weeks we plan to discuss the concepts of real and make believe and shadows. Some of the unfamiliar words used in the story that we will be explaining to the children are ukulele, village, and ostracize. We will be using our projector to encourage children to explore in light and shadow. We will be drawing to different music- classical, rock, fast/slow songs. We will introduce the song Shadow Dancing.
Some challenge questions we plan on asking:
Tell me what you know about real and make-believe?
What problem did the village have and how would you help the villagers?
What kind of music/songs do you like and how does it make you feel?
We have found that our weekly plans change or shift based on the interest of the children. Stay tuned and we will keep you informed of what will actually happen next week!
Ms. Elma
Some challenge questions we plan on asking:
Tell me what you know about real and make-believe?
What problem did the village have and how would you help the villagers?
What kind of music/songs do you like and how does it make you feel?
We have found that our weekly plans change or shift based on the interest of the children. Stay tuned and we will keep you informed of what will actually happen next week!
Ms. Elma
Guest Chefs
On Wednesday, we had two guest chefs in our classroom. In the morning class, Joseph and his mom Tracy, made up delicious mud cups of chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and cookie crumbles. In the afternoon class, Solana and her parents Jaime and Lisa, brought in a pizza oven and the children made individual pizza's---yum! The children have really loved having our parents and aunts come into the classroom and cook with us. I just put up the April calendar for Guest Chef sign-up and there are additional days open. Anyone close to your child such as grandparents or aunt/uncle can also be a guest chef. If you haven't signed up yet, please consider it. The children look forward to and anticipate the day it is their turn to be the guest chef.
Ms. Elma
Ms. Elma
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Letter Partners
Last weeks, the children read the book Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom. In the book, the upper case letters help the lower case letters. We wanted to reinforce that there are indeed lower and upper case letters, but more importantly, we wanted the children to develop new friendships and strengthen camaraderie and social interactions. We assigned each child a letter partner. As letter partners, the children were encouraged to sit with their partner, line up with their partner, and together the partners practiced their letter sound, and wrote their lower/upper case letters. We learned the partner dance and had a partner parade. After a few days, we asked each child what they thought about having a partner and all the children had positive things to say. We observed partners playing together, eagerly choosing to sit next to each other, and greeting each other with hugs. If you haven't already, please ask your child who is their letter partner and practice sounding out and writing their letter.
Ms. Elma
Ms. Elma
Is This Working?
Dear Parents,
Welcome to my first attempt of creating a classroom blog. Ms. Amy and I have talked about creating a blog to keep you informed about what we are doing in the classroom. I thought it would be a nice surprise to have it created when she returns back after spring break. Here goes nothing.
Ms. Elma
Welcome to my first attempt of creating a classroom blog. Ms. Amy and I have talked about creating a blog to keep you informed about what we are doing in the classroom. I thought it would be a nice surprise to have it created when she returns back after spring break. Here goes nothing.
Ms. Elma
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