Unit 6 - Things That Grow!

May 10-14th

Unit overview - Children will explore how living things grow, using observations, experiments, and books. Through story time readings, children will hear about ducks who find a special home, a new baby on a farm, a boy who grows from baby to school age, and a girl who discovers the joys of growing vegetables. Children continue to learn about letters, sounds, and rhyming words, and will participate in many other math, science, music, poetry, and art activities.

Theme Concepts:

-Living things grow and have life cycles.
-Living things reproduce, and the offspring are the same kind of plant or animal as their parents.
- Living things need food, water, and proper living conditions to survive.
-Immature living things need special care.
-Living things interact, and among animals ther are predators and prey.

Books:
The Ugly Vegetables, by Grace Lin
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert


Small groups:

Math group - Students will discuss the concept of measuring length. They will compare colored tinker toy sticks and make predictions about their length.

Science group- Students will plant white kidney beans inside a paper towel and a plastic cup. They will track its growth inside their own Bean Growth Journal!

Fine motor group - Students will make a green broccoli by cutting paper, gluing and coloring.

Choice:

- Blocks on the rug , painting with green shades, making vegetable soup in the dramatic play area, bird seed in the sensory table, vegetable prints, and fruit and vegetable puzzles.

Music:

- Freeze Dance, Down by the Bay, Windshield Wiper Poem, Daisies and Buttercups Poem, If You're Happy and You Know It

"Pre" Kindergarten Socials

Kindergarten Socials-

Memorial Pre-Kindergarten Play dates!
Wednesday, May 19 at 3:00 pm at Simonds Park
Tuesday, June 22 at 10:30 am at Simonds Park
Thursday, August 19 at 3:00 pm at Simonds Park
Hosted by Jenn Sirois and her daughter, Madelene
Please RSVP to Jennsirois@comcast.net

Fox Hill Pre-Kindergarten Play dates!
Wednesday, May 19 at 3:00 pm at Rahanis Park
Tuesday, June 22 at 10:30 am at Rahanis Park
Thursday, August 19 at 3:00 pm at Rahanis Park
Hosted by Tiffany Tucci and her son, Marcus.
Please RSVP to tltucci@yahoo.com

Pine Glen Pre-Kindergarten Play dates!
Wednesday, May 19 at 3:15 pm at Veteran’s Park
Tuesday, June 22 at 1:00 pm at Veteran’s Park
Thursday, August 19 at 3:00 pm at Veteran’s Park
Hosted by Christina Russo and her son, Timothy
Please RSVP to cr01803@yahoo.com

Francis Wyman Pre-Kindergarten Play Dates!
Wednesday, May 19 at 3:00 pm at the Francis Wyman School Playground
-RSVP to Kerri Basile at kbasile@rcn.com
Tuesday, June 22 at 10:30 am at the Francis Wyman School Playground
-RSVP to Liz DeVito at ldevito@winstonflowers.com
Thursday, August 19 at 3:00 pm at the Francis Wyman School Playground
-RSVP to Elizabeth Melo at efmelomsw@yahoo.com

UNit 5 - Week 4

Theme – 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 is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts: Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.There must be light or there is no reflection. Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent. Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.As part of exploring reflections in water and mirrors we will also be looking for reflections in bubbles. We will be exploring different tools to use to make bubbles (bubble blowers, large wands, just your fingers).

Stories:
Kitten for a Day, By Ezra Jack Keats

Dreams, By Ezra Jack Keats

Duck in a Truck, By Jez Alborough

Small Groups:

Language – A dog puppet and a cat puppet for a puppet show

Science - Shadow making with a flashlight and blocks

Special project for mother's day!

Choice: Rug - Ball track

Sensory table - sand, water and swamp animals

Dramatic Play – Pet shop

Yellow Table – math number pegs

Writing Center – "I wish I had a pet named...." book

Blue table - Colored peg boards

Easel - paintings of Kitten for a Day

Songs, Word Plays and Letters

My Hands on My Head

Down By the Bay

Matching Letter Chant

5 Little Monkeys

Alphabet Action Song

Rhythm Sticks

**Special Activity** Next week we will have Wendy Pavlicek from the Science Center bring down some animals for the kids to see. She will offer an informative and interactive presentation!

UNit 5 - Week 2

April 12-16

Theme – This is our first week of our new unit, 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 is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts: Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.There must be light or there is no reflection.Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.
As part of exploring reflections in water and mirrors we will also be looking for reflections in bubbles. We will be exploring different tools to use to make bubbles (bubble blowers, large wands, just your fingers).

Stories: Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets
Raccoon on His Own by Jim Arnosky
Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley

Small Groups:
Language – Make a paper raccoon
Math–Making collections of animals
Science - Is this a good reflector?

Choice:
-Rug - trains and train track
-Sensory table - Reflecting pool
-Dramatic Play – Dress Up
- Art – Glitter and finger painting
-Writing Center – My favorite animal book
- Blpue table - Colored peg boards

Songs, Word Plays and Letters -
Littel Turtle
BINGO– with the word Snake
Whose Reflection is in the Pool?
Matching Letter Chant
My Big Balloon
Windshield Wiper
Five Little Fishies

**Reminder - April vacation begins next week! There is no school on April 19-23! Have fun!

Unit 5 - Shadows and Reflections

Week of April 5th-9th

Theme – This is our first week of our new unit, 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 is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts: Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.There must be light or there is no reflection.Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.

As part of exploring reflections in water and mirrors we will also be looking for reflections in bubbles. We will be exploring different tools to use to make bubbles (bubble blowers, large wands, just your fingers).

Stories: Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets
Raccoon on His Own by: Jim Arnosky

Small Groups:

Language – Animal memory

Math–Go Fish with numbers

Science - Hand Held Mirror Play

Choice: -Easel – Painting meadow, pond, and stream animals

-Sensory table - bubbles and reflective devices

-Dramatic Play – Dress Up

- Art – Reflective paper collages

-Writing Center – Drawing and writing about our class tadpoles

- Alphabet ARC

Songs, Word Plays and Letters -

Open Shut Them

Looby LooEentsy

BINGO– with the word Snake

Whose Reflection is in the Pool?

Little Letter/Big Letter Chant

My Big BalloonWindshield Wiper

Five Little Fishies

Dr. Suess Week

Theme – This week we will transition out of our World of Colors unit and enjoy some classic children’s literature. We will read Dr. Seuss’ ABC’s and The Cat and the Hat by Dr. Seuss. We will work on developing the students’ rhyming skills and expose them to these wonderful works!

Story – ABC’s by Dr. Seuss
The Cat and the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Small Groups –
Language – Students will play a Cat and the Hat following directions game as they pretend to be like the silly cat from the story.
Motor – Students will use tongs to pick up scrabble letter Cheese-its. Students will make a picture using the letters of their names.
Math Group – Students will develop patterning skills as they make a red and white Dr. Seuss hat.

Choice: - Alphabet Arc game
- Sensory table with eggs and hidden treasures
- Observation station in the writing center. Students will observe our new frog eggs and will prepare journal entries.
- Dr. Seuss books on tape
- Painting Cat and Hat pictures on the easel
- My favorite color page

Music:
1) ABC action song
2) Rhythm stick songs
3) Bean bag songs
4) Looby Loo
5) Color train

World of Color Culmination

Students in the morning Safari Scout class showed their class spirit, sporting their orange colored clothes and hand made hats!










During the World of Color Unit students experimented with colors. Here they are mixing primary colors to create new secondary colors!





We took a "field trip" to the lower library of the High School to admire the wonderful artwork created by the high school artists! Students were so excited to see all the colors used to create the masterpieces!