Story Book for April 22, 2009

Our story book for April 22nd was Truck Driver Tom by Monica Wellington.  Truck driver Tom hauls a load of vegetable from a farm in the country to a grocery store in the city.

Woodworking: Car Crush

For this activity we placed Hotwheels cars into a vice and let the children smash them with a hammer.  This was a fun way to give the children some practice using a hammer.

Art Activity: Bicycle Weaving

For this activity we brought a bicycle in to the classroom for the children to decorate.  We gave the kids lengths of ribbon and straws cut into segments.  The children weaved the ribbon through the spokes of the bicycle.   They also wrapped the ribbons around other parts of the bicycle.  The kids used the straws do decorate the spokes of the bicycle.

Story Book for April 21, 2009

Our story book for April 21st was Bicycle Race by Donald Crews.  This books helps the children learn numerals 1-12 while enjoying an exciting story about a group of bicycle racers.

Science Activity: Hot Air Balloon Pulleys

Since Hot Air Balloons are in everyone's thoughts at this time of year, we came up with this activity.  We rigged pulleys to the ceiling of our classroom.  We then connected ballons, with baskets hanging from them, to the pulleys.  The children put little people in the baskets and pretended to give them balloon rides.

Art Activity: Cars

For this art activity we gave the children paper cut into the shape of cars, glue sticks, crayons and chalk.  First the children used the crayons and chalk to decorate their car.

Next the children used the glue sticks to attach wheels to their cars.

After the cars were finished, the children's pictures were added to the cars to make it look like the kids were driving their cars.  The artwork was displayed on our art bulletin board.

Some close up pics of the cars.

Bulletin Board for Transportation

Our bulletin board for the transportation unit features the many different forms of transportation.  If you look closely, you will see that all of the children appear on the bulletin board operating one of the modes of transportation.  Here are some close up pics:

Story Book for April 20, 2009

Our story book for April 20th was My Car by Byron Barton.  This is the story of Sam and his car.  Sam loves his car very much.  He washes his car, fills it with gasoline, and drives it to work.  A very simple story with great illustrations.

Story Book for April 17, 2009

Our story book for April 17th was Seeds, Seeds, Seeds by Brian Cutting.  This book talks about different types of seeds and the plants that come from those seeds.  The type of seeds in the book include dandelion and watermelon seeds.

Cooking Activity: Veggie Pizzas

Mmmm.....yummy veggie pizzas!  The kids spread pizza sauce on pita bread.  Next they selected the vegetables they wanted on their pizzas.  They could choose from peas, mushrooms, and carrots.  The veggies were topped off with shredded cheese.  The kids enjoyed the pizzas they made.

Story Book for April 16, 2009

Our story book for April 16th was Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres.  In this book the author describes which food in the garden grow above the ground, under the ground, or on a vine.  

Story Book for April 15, 2009

Our story book for April 15th was Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert.  This book describes the steps it takes to plant a vegetable garden.

Language Activity: What a Garden Needs to Grow

After learning about gardens for more than a week, we asked the children what they thought was needed for a garden to grow.  All of the children had some idea about the what was needed.  The mentioned things such as soil, water, sunshine, and scarecrows.

Math Activity: Fruit Sorting

For this activity we put a pile of rubber fruit counters on the table and asked the children to sort them.  The children made piles of apples, bananas, oranges, and other fruits.

Art Activity: Flower Collage

For this activity we gave the children flower stickers and photos of flowers cut from magazines.  The children glued the flowers onto their paper to create a collage.

Health and Safety Activity: Washing Potatoes

We told the children about the importance of washing vegetables before they are eaten.  We gave them some soapy water and sponges to let them practice on some potatoes.  

Story Book for April 14, 2009

Our story book for April 14th was Spring Things by Bob Raczka.  In this book the season of Spring is celebrated.  

Story Book for April 13, 2009

Our story book for April 13th was The Whole Green World by Tony Johnston.  In this story a little girl goes out into the world and plants seeds all over.

Story Book for April 9, 2009

Our story book for April 9th was The Bunnies Picnic by Lezlie Evans.  In this story 8 bunnies spend the day making vegetable stew.  The pick the vegetable from the garden, and prepare the stew.  As the are about to eat the stew it is knocked over and ruined.  The bunnies decide to make a salad instead.

Math Activity: Garden Match Game

For this activity the children matched pictures of food that grow in a garden.  After matching the pictures the children identified the names of each of the foods.

Art Activity: Broccoli Painting

For this art activity we gave the children stalks of broccoli to paint with.  The children dipped the broccoli in tempra paint and then dapped or rubbed the broccoli on the paper.  This activity was kind of stinky!  Broccoli YUCK!

Story Book for April 8, 2009

Our story book for April 8th was Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert.  This is an alphabet book about fruits and vegetables.

Language Activity: Garden Feely Bag

For this activity we placed items, that you would find a farmer's market, into a bag.  The children reached into the bad and described how the items felt.  After feeling the items, the children tried to guess what they were.

Story Book for April 7, 2009

Our story book for April 7th was One Bean by Anne Rockwell.  This book shows the life cycle of a bean from sprout to dinner table.

Math Activity: Caterpillar Counting Game

This teacher-made game helped the children work on numeral recognition, rote counting, and touch counting.  The children had to place the flower pieces over the numbered section of the caterpillar.

Art Activity: Coffee Filter Flowers

The children decorated coffee filters with markers and stickers to make flowers.  They also added stems and leaves to their flowers.  Afterwards they were displayed on the art bulletin board.

Story Book for April 6, 2009

Our story book for April 6th was Flower Garden by Eve Bunting.  In this story a little girl plants a flower garden for her mother's birthday.  The family lives in an apartment building, so the garden is placed in a window box.

Art Activity: Constellations

For this activity we gave the children black paper, star shaped foam stickers, and white crayons.  The children created their own constellations by applying the stickers and then used the white crayons to connect the stars and draw around the stars.

Story Book for April 3, 2009

Our story book for April 3rd was One Round Moon and a Star for Me by Ingrid Mennen.  The story of a boy in Africa who has a brand new baby sister.

Story Book for April 2, 2009

Our story book for April 2nd was What Faust Saw by Matthew Ottley.  Faust is the family dog who discovers an alien spacecraft has landed on the front lawn.  He tries to warn the other members of the family, but they don't see what he does.  Lots of great looking aliens in this fun book.

Story Book for April 1, 2009

Our story book for April 1st was The Big Dipper by Frankln M. Branley.  This book is an introduction to the night sky and star gazing.

Story Book for March 31, 2009

Our story book for March 31st was The Stars Will Still Shine by Cynthia Rylant.

Story Book for March 30, 2009

Our story book for March 30th was Mars by Seymour Simon.  This is a non-fiction book that tells interesting facts about the planet Mars.

Art Activity: Space Ships

To make these space ships, the teachers first covered a paper plate with aluminum foil.  Next, the children used glue and foam shapes to decorate their space ships.

Math Activity: Rockets and Comets

This game was made by one of our teachers.  It's played just like chutes and ladders, but with a space theme.  The children used a spinner to determine how many spaces they would move, and then counted out that number of spaces.