Season of Giving/Holiday Crafts

Theme: Season of Giving/Holiday Crafts
Social Learning Goal: Being generous to others
Academic Learning Goal: Syllables, letter 'G/g'

Announcements: Ariann is going to be gone all next week-- there will be no reading group on Wednesday, and limited activity on the blog. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday pictures, and picked them up from the parent cubbies. Happy holidays, and Happy New Year! See you in 2011!

Monday: Julie/Karla combined project: Kwanzaa place mats
Julie's Project: Kwanzaa stories, candle craft
Karla's Project: Kwanzaa beads

Holiday Traditions Around the World Week 2

Some nice winter weather pictures! 

Theme: Holiday Traditions Around the World
Social Learning Goal: Being culturally sensitive, accepting others differences, being generous
Academic Learning Goal: Syllables, letter 'G/g'
Spanish: festividades (holiday), Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas)

Announcements: This week we are closed Thursday and Friday (23rd-24) for the holiday season! Enjoy this time with your families. Happy holidays from The Children's Center!

Books:
The Mitten by Jan Brett
My First Kwanzaa Karen Katz
Hershall and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel
Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson
Snow Sounds by David A. Johnson
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess
12 Days of Christmas by Rachel Isadora

Ariann's Project: Hanukkah oh Hanukkah, sewing around the tree, snowflakes

Julie's Project: Gingerbread Men
Karla's Project: Salt paint snowmen/ When will it Snow?

Holiday Traditions Around the World

Theme: Holiday Traditions Around the World
Social Learning Goal: Being culturally sensitive and appreciating similarities/differences in others
Academic Learning Goal: AB/ABC Patterns, letter 'W/w,' counting up to 15
Spanish: por favor (please), de nada (your welcome), festivades (holidays)

Announcements: This Wednesday, from 7:30-9:30 we will be decorating holiday houses! The children are really excited about this, and everyone is welcome to join us (even if your kiddo doesn't normally come to school that day). Feel free to come, and join us for breakfast! We will be talking about holiday traditions the next two weeks and if your family has any traditions you would like to share, I would love to hear about them, and let your child share with the class. Happy holidays!

Books:
Whoever you Are by Mem Fox
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg


Ariann's Project: Candy cane mice (holiday ornament), and holiday wreaths (M, T, F). Dangling snowmen and reading of The Snowman (Thur). Reading group (Wed).

Julie's Project: Spin the Dreidel
Karla's Project: Gingerbread dough ornaments

Dinosaurs Week 2

Theme: Dinosaurs
Social Learning Goal: Appropriately expressing feelings to friends
Academic Learning Goal: Counting up to 15 (with 1-1 correspondence) and the letter 'P/p'
Spanish: Por favor (please), gracias (thank you), de nada (your welcome)

Books:
Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola
Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner
Could a Tyrannosaurus Play Table Tennis? by Andrew Plant
Dinosaur! by Peter Sis
Ten Little Dinosaurs by Pattie Schnetzler
Tyranasaurus Math by Michelle Markel
The Dinosaurs Are Back and Its All Your Fault Edward! by Wendy Hartman and Niki Daly
Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo by William Joyce
Trouble at the Dinosaur Cafe by Brian Moses

Ariann's Project: Stuffed 3-D Dinosaurs, dinosaur memory and reading of Could a Tyrannosaurus Play Table Tennis? 


Julie's Project: Playdough volcanoes
Karla's Project: Digging up Dinosaurs by Aliki, exploring fossils, dinosaur noodle skeletons

Dinosaurs Week 1

Announcements: With winter weather in full swing, we need parents to please send their child to school with appropriate clothing. We go outside everyday! Your child needs snowpants, snowboots, a hat, and waterproof mittens. Also if you can encourage your child to learn how to put these items on themselves, that would be a greatly appreciated! Many of our kiddos can get the majority of their snow clothes on alone, but we are hoping for parents to continue working with their children at home!

Theme: Dinosaurs
Social Learning Goal: Following three-step directions
Academic Learning Goal: AB/ABC Patterns and the letter 'D/d'
Spanish: caballo (horse), conejo (rabbit), gracias (thank you), de nada (your welcome)

Books:
Buying, Training, and Caring for your Dinosaur by Laura Joy Rennert
Dinosaur Dances by Jane Yolen
How High Can a Dinosaur Count? Valorie Fisher
Prehistoric Pinkerton by Steven Kellogg
The Super Hungry Dinosaur Martin Waddell
Theasaurus Rex Laya Steinberg

Ariann's Project: Dino Day (acting) and Ask Dr. K. Fisher about Dinoaurs

Julie's Project: Dinosaur fossiles with plaster of paris and categorizing dinosaurs
Karla's Project: Fossils Tell of Long Ago and clay handprints  

Being Thankful/Thanksgiving

Announcement: There is no school on Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th this week. Enjoy the holiday and time with your family!

Theme: Being Thankful/Thanksgiving
Social Learning Goal: Using our manners
Academic Learning Goal: 'th' and the letter 'T/t' sound and recognition
Spanish: de nada (your welcome), gracias (thank you), color review

Books:
Beauty and the Beaks: A Turkey's Cautionary Tale by Mary Jane and Herm Auch
Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
Thanksgiving Stories and Poems by Caroline Feller Bauer
Round the Turkey: A Grateful Thanksgiving By Leslie Kimmelman

Ariann's Project: Big Fat Turkeys (part II), What you are thankful for book page, and reading group

Julie's Project: Edible Tepee
Karla's Project: Turkey-lympics