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

Helping others/Being thankful

Announcements: Parents please help with the following: 

1) Bring in a canned food item for your child to donate to the the food bank.
2) Help your child find a item around your house that begins with the letter 'T' and bring it to school.
3) Talk with your child about what it means to be thankful and write their words and thoughts down on the small leaves located on the check in table. We will begin sharing these the week of Thanksgiving. Thanks to all of the parents/families who have done them so far! They are great!

Theme: Helping others/Being thankful
Social Learning Goal: Sharing and helping friends
Academic Learning Goal: #1-10 recognition, letter 'T/t', AB/ABC patterning
Spanish Words: Gracias (thank you), por favor (please) and morado (purple)

Books:
Arthur's Thanksgiving by Marc Brown
The Thanksgiving Door Debby Atwell 
Gus the Pilgrim Turkey By Ellen Joy Sasaki and Teresa Bateman
Gracias the Thanksgiving Turkey by Joy Cowley
Turkey Surprise! by Peggy Archer
Just so Thankful by Mercer Mayer
Thanksgiving: Stories and Poems by Caroline Feller Bauer

Ariann's Project: Big Fat Turkeys (with paper mache), and reading group (Wednesday)

Julie's Project: If I was a turkey... (story writing)
Karla's Project: Handprint turkeys/turkey facts (Monday-Wednesday) "The Great Turkey Race" and the having the children compete in the 'Turkey-lympics'

Shadows and Light

Theme: Shadows and Light
Social Learning Goal: Using our words 
Academic Learning Goal: Letter 'C/c', letter 'E/e', learning our phone numbers 

This week we are working on using our words. This morning, we discussed using polite words. I am really encouraging the children to use: yes please, no thank you, please, thank you and your welcome. At home if you can encourage this language that would be fantastic. I really want the children to use polite words when speaking to each other and adults.

Books:
Bear Shadow by Frank Asch
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
Return of the Shadows by Norma Farber
Suddenly! by Colin McNaughton
Shadows and Reflections by Tana Hoban
Shadows by April Pulley Sayre
Footprints and Shadows by Anne Wescott Dodd
The Dark by Robert N. Munsch

Songs:
My Shadow Likes to Move (Tune: When Your Happy and You Know it) 
Oh my shadow likes to move, just like I do.
Oh my shadow likes to move, just like I do.
Whatever that I do, my shadow does it, too.
Oh my shadow likes to move, just like I do.

I See Shadows (Tune: Frere Jacques) 
I see shadows,
I see shadows,
On the wall,
On the wall,
Some are short and scary,
Some are short and scary,
Some are tall,
Some are tall.

Ariann's Projects: Silhouettes (Monday and Tuesday) and hand puppets (Friday)

Julie's Project: Breaking light
Karla's Project: Shadow puppet theatre: "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak

Phone Numbers

This week and next week I am teaching the children their phone numbers. I am singing them to the tune of "Here we go 'round the Mulberry Bush" (example: four-five-nine-seven-two-seven-four and then repeat 3x). Ask your child how the tune goes, and any practice you can give your child at home would be very helpful! For the most part I am teaching them the landline numbers that you have given The Children's Center, but if you don't have a landline, I used mom's cell phone. Here is a list of the numbers I am using with each child.

Elizabeth: 327-7967
Taylee: 396-4584
Ellie: 829-1894
Aiden: 240-4645
Brooklynn: 543-9353
Eli: 543-9672
Hailey: 493-6896
Troy: 214-9371
Claire: 829-3791
Evyn: 251-7122
Kyler: 370-0903
Maddie: 549-3442
Cameron: 370-1757
Eric: 493-6915
Landin: 370-7440
Kaedyn: 273-6494
Jake: 251-5905
Alaina: 546-1042
Sheldon: 829-3397

       

Photography

Announcement: When you develop your child's disposable camera, if you come across any nice portraits of any of the kids from class, and want to bring them back to school to either give to a student, or hang in  class, it would be really appreciated. I know the kiddos had fun with the cameras this week, and I look forward to seeing some of their pictures! 

Theme: Photography 
Social Learning Goal: Taking turns
Academic Learning Goal: Learning our phone numbers, letter 'C/c', letter 'E/e' 


Books: 
Smile Princessa! By Stephani Jacob Gordon 
The Perfect Purple Feather by Hanochi Pioven 
Find a Face by Francois and Jean Robert 
Simple Pictures are the Best by Nancy Willard 
Flotsamn By David Weisner 


Ariann's Project: Portraits with disposable cameras

Julie's Project: Letter hunt with digital cameras
Karla's Project: Mystery photo guessing game

Thanks again for all the help and support for the halloween party last week! I know the kids had a great time, and we did too! If any parents got pictures, I would love to have them. We are also going to begin learning our phone numbers. I know many of you no longer have land lines, but if you have a number that you would prefer your child learning, please let me know. Looking forward to another great week at school.

Here is an assortment of my favorite portraits from the week. Some taken by me, others by the kiddos. If you see your child's disposable camera in the top part of their cubby it means that they are ready to be developed. The idea was portraits, but when developed, you will see what kind of surprises show up!