Playing, Learning and Growing

Art Activity: Pirate Necklaces

2010-01-09T11:56:00.002-05:00

We gave the children beads and pirate themed medallions to use to make necklaces.

Science Activity: Cannon Ball Splash

2010-01-09T09:18:00.004-05:00

We gave the children 4 different sized balls, and a container of water. The children first predicted which ball they thought would make the biggest splash. Next they dropped the balls into the container of water to see which would make the biggest splash.

Art Activity: Pirate Story Drawings

2010-01-09T08:51:00.003-05:00

This activity was a combination of art and language. First the children glued a picture of themselves dressed as a pirate to their paper, and then made a drawing around their picture. Next, they dictated a story to the teachers about their artwork.

Art Activity: Spy Glasses

2010-01-03T21:35:00.003-05:00

On this day the children made spyglasses using cardboard paper towel tubes. They decorated their spyglasses with pirate themed stickers.

Cooking Activity: Hardtack

2010-01-03T21:18:00.002-05:00

For this cooking activity, the children made Hardtack, a bread often eaten by sailors and pirates. The children poured bisquick and milk into a mixing bowl. The stirred the mixture and them rolled out their hardtack biscuits.

Math Activity: Treasure Counting

2010-01-03T21:08:00.002-05:00

We had the children counting treasures for this math activity. We gave the children numbered cups, gold coins, and glass gems. The children touch counted out the correct number of coins or gems to go in each cup.

Art Activity: Treasure Mosaics

2010-01-03T20:12:00.002-05:00

For this activity we gave the children playdough and glass gems. The children smashed the playdough down flat like a pancake, and then pressed the gems into the playdough to make a mosaic.

Story Books for December 7-11, 2009

2010-01-03T19:54:00.002-05:00

Our story books for the week of December 7th through 1th for our theme of Pirates and Treasures were:

Pirates Ho! by Sarah L. Thompson

Do Pirates Take Baths? by Kathy Tucker

Pirate Treasure Hunt by Jan Peck

On a Pirate Ship by Sarah Courtauld

The Pigrates Clean-Up by Steven Kroll

Science Activity: Sink or Float?

2010-01-03T15:53:00.000-05:00

Once again we did the Sink or Float Experiment.

Art Activity: Pirate Ship Sails

2010-01-03T15:38:00.003-05:00

For this activity we gave the children a drawing of a pirate ship missing its sails. The children glues fabric pieces to their paper to make the ship's sails. They also used colored pencils to decorate the rest of their ship.

Art Activity: Treasure Chests

2010-01-03T15:24:00.003-05:00

The children decorated these treasure chests using tempra paint and glitter.

Art Activity: Pirate Hats

2010-01-03T15:09:00.003-05:00

We gave the children paper hats and asked them to decorate them using stickers, ink pads and rubber stamps.

Woodworking Activity: Treasure Sculpture

2010-01-03T14:45:00.003-05:00

For this activity, we let the children hammer plastic, gold coins into a piece of wood to create a sculpture.

Art Activity: Playdough Parrots

2010-01-03T14:37:00.002-05:00

We gave the children various colors of playdough and feathers and asked them to create a pirate's parrot.

2010-01-03T14:28:00.002-05:00

For this activity, we asked the children to transfer water from one container to the next. We gave them sponges to use. The children figured out that if they used the sponge to soak up the water from the first container they could squeeze the water into the next container. The kids learned about the concept of absorption with this activity.

Science Activity: Eye Droppers

2010-01-03T14:14:00.003-05:00

We put some clear containers full of colored water and some eye droppers in the science area. The children practiced using the eye droppers by moving the water from one container to another. There was also some color mixing going on with this activity.

Art Activity: Treasure Maps

2010-01-03T14:02:00.003-05:00

On this day the children made treasure maps. We gave the children paper, markers, and pirate themed stickers to make their maps with.

Story Books for November 30 to December 4th

2010-01-03T13:41:00.003-05:00

Our story books for the Pirates and Treasure theme for the week of November 30 through December 4th were:

Pirate Pete by Lynne Benton

Tough Boris by Mem Fox

The Little Pirate by Phillemon Sturges

Peg Leg Peke by Brie Spangler

Sloop John B. by Alan Jardine

Art Activity: Pirate Sails

2010-01-03T13:29:00.002-05:00

Our pirate ship in the dramatic play area needed a sail, so we let the children make one. We gave them a white sheet to paint with various colors of tempra paint.

Bulletin Board for Pirates and Treasures

2010-01-03T13:22:00.003-05:00

Our bulletin board for the Pirates and Treasures unit featured a pirate ship with all of the children dressed as pirates aboard.

2010-01-03T12:29:00.002-05:00

For this activity, we let the children transform themselves into pirates. We gave each child a laminated photograph of their face. The children glued various accessories onto their faces. The accessories included pirate hats, bandanas, eye patches, mustaches, beards, and scars.

Story Books for November 23 & 24, 2009

2010-01-03T12:13:00.001-05:00

Our story books for our theme of Pirates and Treasures on November 23rd and 24th were:

I love My Pirate Papa by Laura Leuck

Once Upon a Tide by Tony Mitton

Art Activity: Potato Prints

2010-01-01T20:54:00.002-05:00

For this activity the teachers cut a few potatoes in half and carved some simple designs into the potato halves. The children pressed the potatoes onto different colored ink pads to create designs on their paper.

Cooking Activity: Pumpkin Muffins

2010-01-01T16:51:00.003-05:00

On this day the children made pumpkin muffins for our cooking activity. With the help of the teacher, the children followed the cooking rebus to make the muffins. They mixed all of the ingredients including the pumpkin, eggs, flour, etc....

Art Activity: Sponge Painting Butterflies

2010-01-01T16:29:00.001-05:00

We gave the children large sheets of paper shaped like butterflies. They used various colors of tempra paint and sponges to decorate their butterflies.

Art Activity: Quilt Collage

2010-01-01T14:35:00.002-05:00

On this day we once again broke out the fabric squares and glue to make quilt collages.

Art Activity: Bat Painting

2010-01-01T14:20:00.003-05:00

For this activity we gave the children used water color paints to decorate bat shaped paper.

Story Books for October 19-23, 2009

2010-01-01T13:39:00.002-05:00

These are the story books we read for our theme of Number Stories for the week of October 19th-23rd:

Bat Jamboree by Kathi Appelt

There Were Ten in the Bed by Karen Young

Count! by Denise Fleming

Feast For 10 by Cathryn Falwell

Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Dianne Ochiltree

Art Activity: Creepy Charcoal Drawings

2010-01-01T13:24:00.002-05:00

For this activity we gave the children pieces of charcoal and let them draw creepy drawings like found in the book A Creepy Countdown by Charlotte Huck.

Art Activity: Fish Scale Rubbings

2010-01-01T13:12:00.002-05:00

After reading the book Ten Little Fish by Audrey Woods we did the Fish Scale Rubbings activity again.

Music Activity: One Elephant Went Out to Play

2009-12-31T16:06:00.004-05:00

For this music activity we first used masking tape to make a spider web on the floor. Next we sung and played the One Elephant Went Out to Play game.

Science Activity: Spring Scales

2009-12-31T15:38:00.003-05:00

For this experiment we collected several objects from around the room. We hung a basket from a spring scale, and asked the children to make predictions about what items they thought weighed the most. After making their predictions, the children put the items in the basket and the teacher helped them read the results on the spring scale.

Art Activity: Bingo Daubers

2009-12-31T14:10:00.003-05:00

A very simple and fun activity on this day. The children used various colors of bingo daubers to paint a picture.

Art Activity: SPLASH! Pictures

2009-12-31T13:41:00.002-05:00

After reading the book SPLASH! by Ann Jonas the children made pictures similar to those found in the book. First they glued a picture of themselves onto their paper. Next they used markers to draw a picture. Next, they dictated a story to the teacher about what was going on in their picture.

Story Book for the week of October 12-16, 2009

2009-12-31T13:24:00.002-05:00

Our story books for the week of October 12th to October 16th, for our theme of Number Stories were:

SPLASH! by Ann Jonas

Gray Rabbit's 1, 2, 3 by Alan Baker

Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

Ten Little Fish by Audrey Woods

A Creepy Countdown by Charlotte Huck

Art Activity: Up On Top Collage

2009-12-31T12:41:00.003-05:00

First we gave the children a photograph of themselves to glue to their paper. Then, the children used paper punches to cut out various shapes. The children then glued the shapes to their paper to make it look like they were balancing objects on their heads like in the book Ten Apples Up On Top.

Math Activity: How Many Apples?

2009-12-31T12:29:00.003-05:00

A teacher made game where the children count dots on an apple to put them in order from 1 to 10. The skills involved in this activity include touch counting, rote counting, and numeral recognition.

Story Books for October 7-9, 2009

2009-12-30T13:11:00.002-05:00

Our story books for the week of October 7th to October 9th for our theme of Number Stories were:

1, 2, 3 To the Zoo by Eric Carle

Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo Lesig

How Many Bugs in a Box? by David A. Carter

Art Activity: Monster Mask

2009-12-30T12:43:00.003-05:00

We gave the children paper masks and let them decorate them with various colors and patterns of tissue paper. We had lots of scary monsters in the room that day.

Language Activity: Mouse Count

2009-12-30T12:31:00.002-05:00

After reading the story Mouse Count by Ella Stoll Walsh, we gave the children some toy mice and a snake puppet so that they could retell the story in their own words.

Art Activity: Painting With Snakes

2009-12-30T12:06:00.003-05:00

For this activity we gave the children rubber snakes to paint with. The children dipped the snakes in trays of paint and then decorated their paper with the paint covered snakes.

Field Trip: Build A Bear

2009-12-30T11:39:00.003-05:00

On this day we planned a field trip to go to a Build A Bear Workshop to get a new classroom bear. On the day before, the children voted on which style of bear we would build. When we got to the Build A Bear Workshop, the children helped stuff the bear, gave her a pretend bath, and decided on the name Isabella for our new bear.

Art Activity: Bears

2009-12-30T11:20:00.004-05:00

For this activity we gave the children a piece of fabric cut into the shape of a bear, some buttons, ribbons, string, and smaller pieces of fabric. The children used glue to add accessories to their bear to decorate it. Afterwards, each child gave their bear a name.

Story Books for September 28 to October 2, 2009

2009-12-30T10:56:00.002-05:00

Here is a list of the books our class read for the week of September 28th to October 2nd.

All of these books related to our theme of Number Stories:

Count With Teddy 1, 2, 3 by Roy Trower

Who's at the Door by Tim Booth

Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert

Mouse Count by Ella Stoll Walsh

One Hungry Monster by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe

Math Activity: Spider Graph

2009-09-20T16:09:00.002-04:00

A simple graphing activity on this day. The children were asked if they like or dislike spiders. The children who liked spiders put a smiley face on the graph. The children who did not like spiders put a unhappy face on the graph. After all of the children had made their choice, the entire class helped count how many liked or disliked spiders.

Art Activity: Spiders

2009-09-20T16:06:00.002-04:00

For this activity we gave the children styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners. They painted the styrofoam balls with tempera paint and then added the pipe cleaners to make legs for the spiders.

Story Book for September 18, 2009

2009-09-20T15:59:00.002-04:00

Our story book for September 18th was Itsy Bitsy Spider by Kate Toms. A more in depth version of the traditional Nursery Rhyme.

Health and Safety Activity: Hot Hazards

2009-09-20T15:45:00.004-04:00

For this activity we showed the children an assortment of photos of household items. The children had to identify which items were potential burn hazards. The children marked the burn hazards by putting a picture of a flame on the picture of the item.

Art Activity: Shoe Collage

2009-09-20T15:39:00.002-04:00

For this activity the children cut out pictures of shoes, and people wearing shoes, from magazines. They glued the photos onto their paper to make a shoe collage. We had some shoe pictures already cut out for the children that weren't ready for scissor use.

Story Book for September 17, 2009

2009-09-20T15:34:00.002-04:00

Our story book for September 17th was 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe by Anna Grossnickle. A version of the old counting Nursery Rhyme.

Science Activity: Planting Flower Seeds

2009-09-20T15:01:00.002-04:00

The children planted flower seeds for this activity. They measured out the amount of soil and water to use and then added them to planting cups along with the flower seeds. We'll see how well these flowers grow in our classroom

Language Activity: Flower Spelling

2009-09-20T14:29:00.003-04:00

For this activity the names of flowers were spelled out on a piece of paper with a picture of the flower. The children used faux flower petals with letters written on them to spell out the names of the flowers. They matched up the letters on the petals with the letters on the paper. A good letter matching and letter recognition skill.

Art Activity: Sponge Painting Flowers

2009-09-20T14:21:00.004-04:00

The children used flower and petal shaped sponges to make flowers. They dipped the sponges into tempera paint and then pressed the sponges on to the paper.

Story Book for September 16, 2009

2009-09-19T19:57:00.003-04:00

Our story book for September 16th was Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary by Lynn Salem. In this very short version of the traditional Nursery Rhyme, Mary plants different types of seeds in her garden. One of the seeds grows into a beanstalk.

Woodworking Activity: Making an Instrument

2009-09-19T18:16:00.003-04:00

The children made a home made instrument at the woodworking table on this day. First they used the hand drill to make pilot holes in the wood.

Next they inserted screw eye bolts into the wood.

Next, rubber bands were attached to all of the screw eye bolts to make a string instrument.

Art Activity: Paper Hats

2009-09-19T17:32:00.002-04:00

On this day the children decorated paper hats. We have them each a folded paper hat and let them decorate it with markers. After they were finished decorating the hat with markers, they used scotch tape to attach feathers to the hats.

Story Book for September 15, 2009

2009-09-19T17:20:00.003-04:00

For September 15th we read the Nursery Rhyme Johnny Crow's Garden. A variety of animals come to a party at Johnny Crow's Garden.

Language Activity: Humpty Dumpty Re-enactment

2009-09-14T20:25:00.002-04:00

For this activity the children re-enacted the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. The sat on a small wall made from cardboard blocks while saying the rhyme, and then fell off the wall.

Math Activity: Egg Carton Sorting

2009-09-14T20:17:00.003-04:00

For this activity we wrote numerals, 1-12, inside the compartments of egg cartons. The children had to count out the correct number of beads for each section of the egg carton.

Art Activity: Humpty Dumpty Kids

2009-09-14T20:09:00.003-04:00

We gave each child a photograph of themselves and a sheet of paper with a brick wall on it. The children cut their photo into pieces and then glued the pieces onto their paper. We wanted this artwork to look like the children were in the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. Afterwards the artwork was displayed on our art bulletin board.

Story Book for September 14, 2009

2009-09-14T19:58:00.001-04:00

Our story book for September 14th was Humpty Dumpty by Kin Eagle. In this story Humpty not only falls off the wall, but he also has mishaps in other locations.

Story Book for September 11, 2009

2009-09-13T18:30:00.001-04:00

Our story book for September 11th was Dog's ABC: A Silly Story about the Alphabet. Dog's adventures for the day take him through the alphabet.

Art Activity: Race Cars

2009-09-13T18:26:00.002-04:00

For this activity the children first decorated a race car pattern with markers. Next, they glued wheels onto their race car. After the car was finished the teachers placed a picture of each child in their car to make it look like they were driving the race car.

Story Book for September 10, 2009

2009-09-13T16:27:00.002-04:00

Our story book for September 10th was The Racecar Alphabet by Brian Floca. Each letter of the alphabet is accompanied by illustration paying tribute to the sport of auto racing.

Health and Safety Activity: Scissor Safety

2009-09-13T16:21:00.003-04:00

For this activity we let the children practice using scissors safely. They practiced walking with the scissors, passing the scissors to a friend, and how to hold them when cutting.

Art Activity: Name Necklaces

2009-09-12T21:15:00.003-04:00

We gave the children alphabet beads and other decorative beads to use to make necklaces. Some children spelled their names with the alphabet beads while others just made a colorful necklace.

Story Book for September 9, 2009

2009-09-12T21:04:00.003-04:00

Our story book for September 9th was The Letters are Lost by Lisa Campbell Ernst. A group of letter blocks are missing from their box. The reader has to discover where each letter has gone.

Story Book for September 8, 2009

2009-09-12T20:03:00.001-04:00

Our story book for September 8th was The Hold by the Apple Tree by Nancy Polette. A group of children go on an imaginary adventure through the alphabet.

Art Activity: Rocket Ships

2009-09-12T19:50:00.003-04:00

The children made rocket ships on this day. They were given a colored rocket to color with markers, crayons, and colored pencils. After they finished decorating their rocket, the teachers inserted a photo of each child inside their rocket.

Story Book for September 4, 2009

2009-09-12T19:38:00.003-04:00

Our story book for September 4th was Touchdown Mars! by Peggy Wethered. An alphabet book that introduces the concepts of outer space.

Story Book for September 3, 2009

2009-09-12T18:57:00.003-04:00

Our story book for September 3rd was The Z Was Zapped! by Chris Van Allsburg. The letters of the alphabet are putting on a play. Each letter performs an act in the play.

Science Activity: Big Magnets

2009-09-12T18:53:00.003-04:00

We gave the children some big magnets and asked them to see how many metallic items they could pick up from a bucket, and then carry them to another bucket.

Art Activity: Alphabet Sponge Painting

2009-09-12T18:17:00.002-04:00

For this activity we gave the children tempra paint and letter shaped sponges. The children used the sponges to paint with and to make prints of the letters.

Art Activity: Treasure Boxes

2009-09-12T17:43:00.003-04:00

We gave the children plain white boxes to decorate for this activity. The children first painted their boxes and then sprinkled glitter over their box. A nice little box to keep treasures.

Story Book for September 2, 2009

2009-09-12T17:34:00.002-04:00

Our story book for September 2nd was Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure by Mick Inkpen. Kipper and his friend Arnold are on a quest to find something that begins with every letter of the alphabet.

Story Book for September 1, 2009

2009-09-12T17:30:00.002-04:00

Our story book for September 1st was ABC I Like Me by Nancy Carlson. This alphabet book lists 26 ways for children to feel good about themselves.

Science Activity: Magnets and Sand

2009-09-12T17:19:00.002-04:00

For this activity we buried an assortment of items in a container of sand. The children used magnetic wands to sift through the sand to find the items that were metallic.

Art Activity: Collage People

2009-09-12T17:01:00.003-04:00

We gave the children people shaped paper, glue and lots of collage materials including pom poms, foam shapes, buttons, yarn, and more. The children glued their items onto their person to make the collage person.

Story Book for August 31, 2009

2009-09-12T16:50:00.002-04:00

Our story book for August 31st was On Market Street by Arnold Lobel. In this alphabet story a boy trots down Market Street buying gifts for a friend. Each item he buys starts with a letter of the alphabet.

Math Activity: Letter Patterns

2009-09-12T16:20:00.002-04:00

For this activity the teachers used paper letters to create patterns. The children had to help complete the patterns, or create their own pattern.

Art Activity: Lacing Letters

2009-09-12T15:49:00.003-04:00

We gave each child a paper letter with holes punched in it. The children used yarn to lace through the holes of the letter.

Story Book for August 28, 2009

2009-09-12T15:43:00.002-04:00

Our story book for August 28th was Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming. A mouse is busy working on each letter of the alphabet. He airbrushes the A, Buttons the B, and so on...

Language Activity: Letter Blocks

2009-09-12T15:27:00.002-04:00

For this activity the children used alphabet blocks to make words. They matched the letter blocks to the letters on the papers to spell words like hat, dog, cat, and pig.

Art Activity: Name Rubbings

2009-09-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

We placed each child's name on the table and then covered the table with a large sheet of paper. The children used crayons to rub across the paper to reveal the letters to their names.

Story Book for August 27th

2009-09-12T14:35:00.003-04:00

Our story book for August 27th was Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready For Kindergarten by Joseph Slate. An alphabet book where the teacher gets her classroom ready for the first day of Kindergarten. Each of her students represents a letter of the alphabet.

Science Activity: Magnets and String

2009-09-12T14:27:00.003-04:00

For this science activity we threaded several metal and plastic items onto a string. We tied the string between two chairs and gave the children magnetic wands. The children used the magnetic wands to move the metal items from one end of the string to the other. We put plastic items on the string so that the children could see that the magnets had no effect on them.

Art Activity: Puzzles

2009-09-12T14:14:00.002-04:00

We let the children create their own jigsaw puzzles on this day.

First, the children used markers to draw the picture that would be on their puzzle.

Next, the teachers helped the children put their picture into an Ellison Press. The children helped the teacher pull the handle to press out the parts to their puzzle.

Afterwards, the children had their very own jugsaw puzzle to play with at home.

Story Book for August 26, 2009

2009-09-12T14:06:00.002-04:00

Our story book for August 26th was The Hidden Alphabet by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. A lift the flap book that matches each letter of the alphabet to a word that begins with that letter.

Art Activity: Fly Swatter Painting

2009-09-12T14:01:00.001-04:00

We had so much fun with the fly swatter painting activity that we decided to give it another try.

Story Book for August 25, 2009

2009-09-12T13:57:00.002-04:00

Our story book for August 25th was Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth. This book takes the children through the alphabet while following the adventures of a pesky house fly.

August 24th Excitement on the Playground

2009-09-12T11:03:00.001-04:00

There was a little excitement on the playground today. The children discovered a colony of ants eating a dead caterpillar. Very cool!

Art Activity: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Trees

2009-08-30T21:31:00.002-04:00

The children made coconut trees full of letters like in the story Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. They glued the tree trunk and tree top to their paper, then used letter stickers to finish the tree.

Story Book for August 24, 2009

2009-08-30T21:25:00.002-04:00

Our story book for August 24th was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. A group of lower case letters race to the top of a coconut tree only to fall out when the tree gets too heavy. The uppercase letters come to the rescue of the lower case letters.

Art Activity: Tissue Paper Painting

2009-08-30T20:59:00.003-04:00

For this activity we gave the children pieces of colored tissue paper, glue, paintbrushes, and laminating film. The children used the paintbrushes to glue the tissue paper to the laminating film. After these are dried they can be hung in a window to use as a sun catcher.

Story Book for August 21, 2009

2009-08-30T20:46:00.002-04:00

Our story book for August 21st was Who Said Red? by Mary Serfozo. A boy is looking for something red. While looking for it, he encounters several other colors.

Art Activity: Chameleon Rubbings

2009-08-30T20:20:00.003-04:00

We gave the children crayons and paper with a chameleon outline on it. The children placed their paper on top of a textured rubbing plate and rubbed their crayons over the paper. This made the chameleon look like it had textured scales.

Story Book for August 20, 2009

2009-08-30T20:13:00.003-04:00

Our story book for August 20th was A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. A chameleon doesn't want to keep changing colors, so he decides to stay on a green leaf so that he will stay green forever. However when the leaf changes colors with the seasons, the chameleon does too.

Art Activity: Primary Color Finger Painting

2009-08-30T20:00:00.004-04:00

A very simple activity on this day. We gave the children red, blue, and yellow finger paint to work with. The children used their hands to mix the primary colors into secondary colors.

Story Book for August 19, 2009

2009-08-30T19:54:00.002-04:00

Our story book for August 19th was Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young. A group of blind mice find something interesting by their pond. Each one touches the object and gives their opinion of what it might be. The interesting object ends up being an elephant.

Art Activity: Cotton Ball Painting

2009-08-23T21:31:00.003-04:00

For this activity we gave the children different colors of paint and cotton balls to paint with. For those children that don't like to get paint on their hands, we provided clothes pins for them to hold the cotton balls with.