Friday, September 25, 2015

What a Hoot!


Owls seem to be the latest trend. You can find owls on dishes, clothes, backpacks, you name it and you can probably find it with an owl on it. So why not bring owls in the classroom? Owls are a very interesting bird and young children are fascinated by them, so it makes a wonderful topic to study. There are lots of great owl books and ideas out there (Pinterest anyone?). One of our favorite books is Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.

We have had great fun this week doing art work and recording their voices on Chatterpix, Owl literacy and math centers, and Owl math prompts.  So  join the latest trend and have a hootin’ good time!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Owl Books:

 
 

Other Owl Activities:
 
 

Owl Art work created by Ms. G’s art class!

 
 


 


 
 
 


 
 
Owl video:

 

 
 

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Pinterested in Pinterest?



Hopefully most of you, if not all of you have had the opportunity to peruse Pinterest. You can find a suggestion or an idea for anything; from hair styles to Bunko! But the best part of Pinterest is the awesome classroom ideas that people post. We use Pinterest all the time to update our centers and classroom ideas or to just try something new. With this in mind, we decided to give you a peek into Pinterest every once in a while to see some of the wonderful ideas we are using. This week we are focusing on cooking  creative snacks in the classroom.

Make sure to check out Pinterest if you haven’t already!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Check out this week's "apple snacks". 
The cookies were made by one of our moms!  Am I lucky to have her in my class? You bet! :)
 

Last week’s “Me” doll: (too cute not to share!)
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Miss Beezy’s Euro Exchange Rate:
 (for those interested in traveling to Europe)

.8523 euro cents to the dollar;
1.733 dollars to the euro

Friday, September 11, 2015

We the Class...


 

Constitution Day is commemorated on September 17th. But how do you explain the Constitution of the United States in language young children can understand? Well, the Constitution is a set of rules to keep EVERYBODY safe! Introducing the concept of the Constitution in VERY simple terms usually gets the general idea across that four, five, and six  year olds can relate to.

One of the ways we do this is by creating our own classroom Constitution. The children work together to come up with a set of class rules that ensures everybody in the class will have a chance to learn and be safe (and have fun!) while they are at school.  When the rules are agreed upon, everybody takes turns signing the classroom Constitution. We even have costumes to dress up like some of the original signers of the Constitution! Check out the pictures!  

 
 



 

 
 
 
 
 
Books about the Constitution: 
 
Videos about the Constitution:




The Constitution Pinterest Board:



Friday, September 4, 2015

Fine Motor Activities


 
Why are fine motor skills so important? Developing fine motor skills is necessary for children in order to promote self-help skills, manipulate toys, small objects and use writing tools. Activities that encourage strength and dexterity help young children set the foundation for stability, sensation and bilateral coordination.
We have used play dough, lots of games and activities that require manipulation with the hands, and we have practiced and practiced holding writing tools, tracing stencils/patterns and using scissors. Yes, they all have improved greatly, but we have had a difficult time coming up with new and exciting activities that help build those fine motor muscles. Luckily we have an occupational therapist who works with our school and she has shared some ideas with our parents and teachers. We incorporated some of those ideas in the classroom too!

We have always had a cut box, but adding different textures and thicknesses has brought interest back. We also did straw cutting. Just watch out for flying straw pieces!
 
 
 At the play dough center, we started switching to different types of play dough recipes or use clay on a tray. We have added objects to the play dough that children have to dig out. On the clay tray they used toothpicks to make designs. Using different types of textures helps with sensory.
Using tongs and tweezers gives a fun twist to different activities.
Scrunching up one piece of newspaper in one hand, what a super easy activity to set up!
Bubble wrap is another great activity. We still love popping bubbles too.


Check out some of these handwriting apps! 
 Handwriting Without Tears 
ABC Crayon

Letter School 

 
Shoe Tying Videos:





Play dough recipes (click on the image):
http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-playdough-recipes/

We have enjoyed incorporating these new ideas and the children are having fun with them too. If you have any different and fun ideas to develop fine motor skills, let us know!

Fine Motor Pinterest Board: