Things that Grow - May 22-27

This will be the last week of our Things that Grow Unit. During this unit children will explore how living things grow, using observations, experiments, and books. Through story time readings, children hear about ducks who find a special home, a new baby on a farm, a boy who grows from babyhood to school age, and a girl who discovers the joys of growing vegetables. Children continue to learn about letters, sounds, and rhyming words and participate in many mathematics, science, music poetry and art activities.
The theme concepts include:
- Living things grow and have life cycles
- Living things reproduce and the offspring are the same kind of plant or animal as the parents.
- Living things need food, water and proper living conditions to survive.
- Immature living things need special care.
- Living things interact and among animals there are predators and prey.
Books this week:
I Heard Said the bird, By Polly Berrien Berends
Bigger, By Daniel Kirk

On the Farm, By Julie Lacome
Small Groups:
Language - Students will talk about the who and what you see at a Farm. They will put together a book and identify the things that do not belong on a farm.
Literacy - Students will put together their Alphabet book and make a cover page for it.

Math - Students will trace their bodies on paper, measure themselves with carboard blocks and decorate them.
Choice Time:
-Sensory Table- Bird seed, plastic eggs and pretend birds

-Easel - Animal paintings

-Blue table - Caterpillar and bug creation blocks
**Art table - This week we will learn about the letter "Z". Students will glue zebra pictures and decorate the letter "Z" with stripes. We will save the picture to create an alphabet book.** Please look around your house with your child to find something that starts with the letter "Z." Send it in this week for show and tell!
-Rug - Alphabet floor puzzle
- Yellow table - Students will observe worms in their habitat witha magnifying glass.
Songs, Word Play, and Letters
Old McDonald had a Farm

Alphabet Action song

Rhythm sticks
Bean bag songs
Down by the Bay
The Green Grass Grows

Things that Grow - May 16-20

This week we will continue the OWL unit called Things that Grow. During this unit children will explore how living things grow, using observations, experiments, and books. Through story time readings, children hear about ducks who find a special home, a new baby on a farm, a boy who grows from babyhood to school age, and a girl who discovers the joys of growing vegetables. Children continue to learn about letters, sounds, and rhyming words and participate in many mathematics, science, music poetry and art activities.
The theme concepts include:
- Living things grow and have life cycles
- Living things reproduce and the offspring are the same kind of plant or animal as the parents.
- Living things need food, water and proper living conditions to survive.
- Immature living things need special care.
- Living things interact and among animals there are predators and prey.
Books this week:

Planting a Rainbow by Louis Elhert

I Heard Said the bird, By Polly Berrien Berends
Make way for Ducklings, By Robert McClosky
Small Groups:
Language and Literacy - Students will oserve the growth of their bean planted last week. They will record the progress in observation booklets.
Science - Students will use clay and scraps from outside to make small bird nests.
Fine motor group - Students will develop fine motor skills and observe their own progress as they create self portraits and practice writing their first names.
Choice Time:
-Sensory Table- Soil and pretend bugs
-Easel - Flower painting

-Creation table- Students will use pine cones and bird seed to make bird feeders to hang outside. **Art table - This week we will learn about the letter "Y". Students glue yearn scraps to decorate the letter "Y." We will save the picture to create an alphabet book.** Please look around your house with your child to find something that starts with the letter "Y." Send it in this week for show and tell!
-Rug - Large colored building blocks
- Yellow table - Students will observe worms in their habitat
Songs, Word Play, and Letters
5 Little Ducks Went out To Play
Alphabet Action song

Rhythm sticks

Bean bag songs
Down by the Bay
The Green Grass Grows

Things that Grow - May 9-13

This week we will begin a new OWL unit called Things that Grow. During this unit children will explore how living things grow, using observations, experiments, and books. Through story time readings, children hear about ducks who find a special home, a new baby on a farm, a boy who grows from babyhood to school age, and a girl who discovers the joys of growing vegetables. Children continue to learn about letters, sounds, and rhyming words and participate in many mathematics, science, music poetry and art activities.
The theme concepts include:
- Living things grow and have life cycles
- Living things reproduce and the offspring are the same kind of plant or animal as the parents.
- Living things need food, water and proper living conditions to survive.
- Immature living things need special care.
- Living things interact and among animals there are predators and prey.
Books this week:

Make way for Ducklings, By Robert McClosky
Growing Vegetable Soup, By Louis Elhert
The Ugly Vegetables, By grace Lin
Small Groups:
Science - Students will place beans in a plastic bag and paper towel to see them grow in the sun. They will record the progress in observation booklets.
Language and Literacy- Students will talk about different kinds of vegetables as they play Vegetable Bingo.
Math - Students will develop counting skills as they sing 5 Little Ducks and make a song board to accompany it.
**Special Activity - On Thursday the class will make vegetable soup together! Please refer to the notice in your child's backpack regarding the ingredient they can bring to contribute to the soup!
Choice Time:
-Sensory Table- Soil, rakes, shovels and different sized containers
- Dramatic Play - Students will pretend to make their own vegetable soup
-Easel - Vegetable picture painting
Creation table- Students will use pine cones and bird seed to make bird feeders to hang outside.

**Art table - This week we will learn about the letter "X". Students will use xylophone cutouts to decorate the letter "X." We will save the picture to create an alphabet book.** Please look around your house with your child to find something that starts with the letter "X." Send it in this week for show and tell!
-Rug - Farms and farm animals
Songs, Word Play, and Letters
5 Little Ducks Went out To Play

Buttercups and daisies poem
Down by the Bay
Color Song
The Green Grass Grows
Clap Your Hands
Old McDonald

Things that Grow

This week we will begin a new OWL unit called Things that Grow. During this unit children will explore how living things grow, using observations, experiments, and books. Through story time readings, children hear about ducks who find a special home, a new baby on a farm, a boy who grows from babyhood to school age, and a girl who discovers the joys of growing vegetables. Children continue to learn about letters, sounds, and rhyming words and participate in many mathematics, science, music poetry and art activities.

The theme concepts include:

- Living things grow and have life cycles

- Living things reproduce and the offspring are the same kind of plant or animal as the parents.

- Living things need food, water and proper living conditions to survive.

- Immature living things need special care.

- Living things interact and among animals there are predators and prey.
Books this week:
Growing Vegetable Soup, By Louis Elhert

The Ugly Vegetables, By grace Lin
Small Groups:
Science - Students will plant their own Marigold flowers. They will use soil, seeds, water and then place the plant in front of the sunny window.
Language and Literacy- Students will talk about different kinds of vegetables. They will measure the weight of them using a bathroom scale, a balance scale, and their own arms as a scale.

Math - Students will develop one to one correspondence skills as create a floral picture with flowers of different heights.

Art - Students will create a vegetable soup picture

Special Activity - Students will create a special gift for Mother's Day!
Choice Time:
-Sensory Table- Soil, rakes, shovels and different sized containers

- Dramatic Play - Students will pretend to make their own vegetable soup

-Easel - Green paintings
Creation table- Students will use different vegetables to paint vegetable prints
**Art table - This week we will learn about the letter "W". Students will use whale cutouts to decorate the letter "W." We will save the picture to create an alphabet book.** Please look around your house with your child to find something that starts with the letter "W." Send it in this week for show and tell!
-Rug - Farms and farm animals
Songs, Word Play, and Letters
Buttercups and daisies poem

Down by the Bay

Color Song

The Green Grass Grows

Clap Your Hands

Old McDonald

April 25-April 29

This week will conclude our unit called Shadows and Reflections! During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections using observations, experiments, and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through story time books, children hear about a girl playing by a still pond, a puppy who thinks he's a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pain, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and raccoon who has an adventure with his own reflection. Children continue to learn about letters, and sounds and counting concrete objects. They will participate in many other mathematics, science, music, poetry and art activities.
Books this week:
Bear Shadow, by Frank Asch
Kitten for Day, By Ezra Jack Keats
Dreams, By Ezra Jack Keats
Small Groups:
Science - Students will talk about shadows and create a shadow picture from the story Shadow Bear.
Language and Literacy- Students will talk about the animals form our story and match the animal picture to the written animal word.
Drama group - Students will make a kitten puppet and use them to put on their own Kitten for a Day play in our pretend theater.
Art -Students will make a puppy puppet
Choice Time:
-Sensory Table- Sand, swamp and swamp animals
- Dramatic Play - Kittens and puppies
-Easel - Dreams and Kitten for a Day paintings
Creation table- Students will use clay to make animal sculptures
**Art table - This week we will learn about the letter "V". Students will use volleyball cutouts to decorate the letter "V." We will save the picture to create an alphabet book.** Please look around your house with your child to find something that starts with the letter "V." Send it in this week for show and tell!
-Rug - Farms and farm animals
- Yellow table - Number blocks and number pegs
Songs, Word Play, and Letters
Alphabet Action Song
Rhythm Sticks songs
Bean Bag songs
SNAKE song

School Vacation!

Just a reminder that April Vacation begins today, Friday April 15th. Enjoy your vacation week and we will see you the week of April 25th!

Shadows and Reflections - April 11-15

This week we will continue our unit called Shadows and Reflections! During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections using observations, experiments, and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through story time books, children hear about a girl playing by astill pond, a puppy who thinks he's a kitten, a crocodile collectiong reflections in a pain, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and racoon who has an adventure with his own reflection. Children continue to learn about letters, and sounds and conuting concrete objects. They will participate in many other mathematics, science, music, poetry and art activities.

Books this week:

Kitten for Day, By Ezra Jack Keats

Dreams, By Ezra Jack Keats

Small Groups:

Math - Students will develop patterning skills as they make picture from the story "Kitten for a Day."

Science - Students will explore the concept of shadows using flashlights and animal figures.

Langauge and Literacy- Students will learn the song 3 Green and Freckled Frogs and make an accompanying song prop.

Choice Time:

-Sensory Table- Sand and Treasures

- Dramatic Play - Students will sit in a tent, use flashlights and create stick puppet shows with shadows.

-Easel - Students will use florescent paint and black paper to make night sky paintings. -Creation table- Students will use tissue paper and laminate to make stained glass windows.

**Art table - This week we will learn about the letter "U". Students will use unbrella cutouts to decorate the letter "U." We will save the picture to create an alphabet book.** Please look around your house with your child to find something that starts with the letter "U." Send it in this week for show and tell!

-Rug - Wooden blocks and flashlights

- Yellow table - Baby animal and parent animal lacing cards

Songs, Word Play, and Letters

3 Green and Freckled Frogs

Alphabet Action Song

Whose reflection is in the pool?

Looby Loo

SNAKE - sung to the tune of Bingo

Little Turtle Poem