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“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Space


Space

I decided to do a space theme for our short week after Easter.  Space is a subject that all students (myself included) are fascinated by. Each week as I introduce our theme we brain storm and discuss what we already know about the topic. Week after week I am amazed by what these kids know and the ideas that they come up with.  
We separated our theme into three subsections. What we know is in space, who goes to space, and how do you get there.

We also worked hard on some space themed crafts to complete the week!














During space week we made a "name rocket" and our own constellations!

Thanks for stopping by!

- Mrs. Winter

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Spring Time and Easter Fun


Spring Time and Easter Fun

Although it may have not felt like it outside we began learning about spring time on the calendar marked first day of spring. Starting early gave us something to be hopefully about as the winter weather dragged on. We focused on spring time weather and the fun sayings that go with it “In like a lion; out like a lamb.” Or “April Showers bring May flowers.” We discussed how the weather would slowly begin to warm and with that we would finally be able to play outside again. This made the kiddos beyond thrilled. We also discussed how even though the rain may keep us inside it would help nature around us to come alive again.

We also sang a little spring time song to the tune of Farmer and the dell:

The days of Spring are here, 
Warmer days are near,
Flowers and bees, and birds in trees. 
The days of spring are here.

We also spent a lot of time talking about the Easter Story. Together we read a child friendly but honest version of the Easter Story and the Passion of Christ. The children listen intently as we read it together and then shared their questions and feelings. We spent time praying together as a class and reflected on how much we are loved by God and by Jesus. I find these moments together with the class to be so special. It is beautiful to listen and join them in little prayers throughout the day.

We also sang a little Easter song to the tune of Mary had a Little Lamb
Jesus is alive today, alive today, alive today. Jesus is alive today, it is Easter morning!

Here is a little looks that we did for spring and Easter:



'stained glass" Easter cross


Springtime rainbows and umbrellas.

Thanks for checking in!
- Mrs. Winter




St Patrick’s Day


St Patrick’s Day

St Patrick ’s Day is a fabulous holiday to celebrate with the little ones.  My main focus during our St. Patrick’s Day festivities is what in our own lives makes us feel lucky or blessed. After reading a story about a leprechaun who forgot to count his blessings we took the time to close our eyes and really think about what is the “gold” in our lives. The kids had some super sweet (and silly) responses. We also learned about the History of Saint Patrick and his influence in Ireland. The kids were very interested in Saint Patrick “driving out all the snakes.” We also went over the history of how Saint Patrick’s Day has been celebrated. We created a big spider graph and shared the details that we learned throughout the week.

We also learned a fun little song to - to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot:

I'm a little leprechaun dressed in green
the tiniest man that you've ever seen.
If you ever catch me so it's told
I'll give you my pot of Gold!

Here is a look at the fun crafts we made during our St. Patrick's day celebrations:





Clover craft using heart stamps






 

“Our Treasures” craft













“If I were a leprechaun..” craft














Thanks for checking in!

-Mrs. Winter 


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Dr. Seuss


Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite authors. I love that with so many Seuss books there is a meaningful message. Dr. Seuss is filled with inspirational and sometimes silly lessons that I really loved to introduce to the kids. During our Dr. Seuss unit we read: “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go”,  and “Horton Hears a Who.” After we read any book in class we spend time recapping the main points from the story, and lessons we learned, and ask our questions.
From Dr. Seuss the students learned to take care of and stand up for people, to be brave and excited about where we can go, and how special and unique we are.
We also sang a new song (to Adams Family)
The Cat in the Hat (snap snap)
The Cat in the Hat (snap snap)
The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat (snap snap)
Were having so much fun but when the fun is done,
You will be the one to send that cat away
The Cat in the Hat (snap snap)
The Cat in the Hat (snap snap)
The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat (snap snap)

And our week would not be complete without some fun Dr. Seuss crafts!



Hope you enjoyed hearing about our Seussical week!
Thanks for stopping by,
Mrs. Winter


Community Helpers


Community Helpers
“Community helpers” is such a fun unit to do with the preschoolers. I love trying to really focus on teamwork as an essential element in a community. We talked about our classroom jobs and how the classroom runs best when we all work together to do the best at our job each week. We learned about the many, many jobs that we find in our community; everything from firefighters to librarians. It was a fun way to see the ambitiousness and goals of the kids. We has a lot of “when I grow up” conversations. These conversations with the kids are always a riot to overhear during free play periods. Pretend phone calls such as “Hello Dr. I just wanted to let you know we’re running a little bit late but we should be there soon.” (I love how kids view adulthood, too funny)

Of course we had a new song for the week too! (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
In my community you will find
Helpers of most every kind
Firefighters, Teachers too
Police officers and Vets at the Zoo
In my community you will find
Helpers of most every kind.

We also took some time to make some community helpers crafts! Check them out!






With a tool belt, Doctor’s Bag, and a Police badge I am fairly certain we could do anything!

Thanks for stopping by,
Mrs. Winter J

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Presidents Day


Presidents Day
Presidents Day was a fantastic learning experience in preschool. During election season we learned and discussed the job role of the President, where he lives, and even what he flies around in. The students know about our current president. Presidents Day gave the students the chance to learn about the history of our Presidents.

During the week of Presidents Day we focused on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We read and learned about the life story of both Presidents. We discussed what it may have been like to be alive when these Presidents were in office. The students also learned about what coins and bills these Presidents were on. To help them remember we sang this song (to the Muffin Man song):

Do you know who's on the penny?
On the penny? On the penny?
Do you know who's on the penny?
Abraham Lincoln.

Do you know who's on the quarter?
On the quarter? On the quarter?
Do you know who's on the quarter?
George Washington.


We also made a portrait of both Washington and Lincoln.





Thanks for stopping by,
Mrs. Winter

Valentine's Day


Valentine’s Day
I love Valentine’s Day! Some have said that it is just a “Hallmark Holiday” but I think it is a great opportunity to just celebrate love!
The theme in our classroom the week of Valentine’s Day was love. We has many discussions about what and who we love, who loves us, and of course, God’s love. I loved these discussions because the students have such a beautiful understanding of what love is. They shared with the class who they love and what love means to the, which is something you could never get adults to do. They were very open about loving their families, their friends, and even loving school.

During the week we sang “Our Valentine’s Song”
Will you be my valentine, valentine, valentine?
Will you be my valentine?
I love you!
Yes I’ll be your valentine, valentine, valentine.
Yes, I’ll be your valentine.
 I love you!

We also made some lovely valentines crafts to celebrate a great week!





Our "Hugging Hearts!









Sweet little “Love Bugs.”



 “Jesus loves me” Hat

I hope you has a splendid Valentine's Day!
Thanks for stopping by!

Mrs. Winter


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Dental Health and Hygiene

Dental Health and Hygiene

I have always liked to closely follow up the health theme with dental health. Dental health is such an important topic at this age as the kids are slowly beginning to lose their baby teeth and their adult teeth grown in. Dental health week included whole group discussions on ways to take care of our teeth. The main educational goal of the week was to have the students memorize “The Four Ways to Keep Our Teeth Healthy.” 1. Brush your teeth every day 2.)Floss your teeth everyday 3. Eat fruits and vegetables and 4. Visit the dentist twice a year.
We also learned a new song about brushing our teeth - Sung to Oh my darling Clementine
 Brush your front teeth Brush your back teeth
Brush the bottom and the top
If you brush them each and everyday
Then your smile will never stop

We practiced brushing our teeth and sent the kids home with a new tooth brush at the end of the week. And we are very excited to get a visit from Dentist this up coming week. Here is a little look at the crafts we made during dental health week. 



A mouth made with marshmallows










A jumbo tooth brush - complete with bristles and tooth paste.
.









A tooth painting - painted with a tooth brush

















That is a little look at our Dental Health Week. Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for stopping by,
Mrs. Winter

Martin Luther King Jr. Day


Martin Luther King Jr. Day


I love Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is such a great opportunity to teach the students about acceptance, kindness, and standing up for something that you believe in. For MLK day we discussed the history of the Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement.  We watched some great informative and kid friendly videos on scholastic.com.

For one of the main parts of the day we talked about ways we could make the world better place.  We listened to the song My Own Two Hands by Jack Johnson and I asked the students to close their eyes and listen to words. The thought the reggae music was silly but it led to a great discussion on what we can do on the preschool level.
I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make it a better place
With my own two hands
Make it a kinder place
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I'm going to make it a brighter place
With my own two hands
I'm going to make it a safer place
With my own two hands
I'm going to help the human race
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can hold you
With my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you've got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own
Use your own two hands
With our own
With our own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

And to wrap up the day we painted with water colors. The kids really love water colors because it gives them a chance to be completely creative.


Thanks for stopping by,
Mrs. Winter


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Health and Hygine


Health and Hygiene

We are half way through flu season (Thank God Almighty) and have been spending a lot of time discussing health with the kids. Weve probably gone through a gallon of sanitizer but have been teaching the kids to cough and sneeze into their elbows. Along with teaching how to stop the spread of germs I talked with the students about ways that we can stay healthy. We discussed the combination of eating healthy and exercise. Exercise is a particular favorite of these busy bodied preschooler. (What I would do for ¼ of their energy)

One of the highlights from the week was a visit from a Doctor from a nearby Medical Center. The kids were able to discuss health with the Doctor and ask all kinds of health questions. They were shown a video about how to stop germs and stay healthy AND they got the chance to listen to their own heart beat on the stethoscope. Pretty cool if you ask me.

And naturally we had some precious and fun crafts for the week:



These crafts were tons of fun. (Although I cant take credit for the last one these were posted outside the kindergarten room and thought they were too cute to not share )

Well friends, I hope that you are staying healthy during this flu season.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mrs. Winter :) 



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Transportation - Vroom Vroom


Transportation – Vroom, Vroom

Transportation was our theme for the first week of January in preschool. Transportation is a fun and relatable subject for the preschoolers and is one of the most favored themes with the boys. I introduced the theme by making various transportation sounds (vroom - vroom, choo-choo, etc.) and had the students guess what our theme of the week would be. Using a whole group discussion we discussed Transportation using our “Question Words” – who, what, where, when, and why. I was super impressed by these creative kiddos and their answers. Jet pack, Hot Air Balloon, Unicycle…remarkable!
One essential element to each theme is finding (and occasionally coming up with) an coordinating song or poem.  The kids LOVE to sing so this is always one of my favorite ways to teach.
“I’m a Little Airplane” – (tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a Little Airplane way up high,
With my great big silver wings watch me fly.
When the pilot tells me I’ll come down,
Swooping and sliding to the grown.
Super cute – and of course there are coordinated hand motions with this song that make it quite fun.

A fantastic aspect of the Transportation theme is environmental print. WE spent a lot of timing going over street signs that we've seen and how we can understand what they mean.

 We also discussed transportation safety, such as ALWAYS wearing your seat belt and being a quiet rider so that our Mommies and Daddies can concentrate. (Don’t know how well the quiet bit will work)

As always we spent some time making some fun transportation crafts – take a look:



We have the Rail Road Crossing craft, the Popsicle stick airplane craft, and the torn paper stop light craft (which is great for small motor.) The crafts were much enjoyed by the kiddos and it was a very successful week!

Thanks for stopping by,
Mrs. Winter




Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Winter Time and Christmas Joys


Winter Time and Christmas Joys


Christmas time is without a doubt a magical time of the year. During the month of December we learned the letters W and C and our class focused on the following themes:
Ë Winter weather
Ë Giving and Charity
Ë And of course, CHRISTMAS!

During winter weather week we decorated our little tree and discussed the changing weather, what it looks and feels like, and what activities we partake in during the wonderful winter weather. One of our discussions and lessons was how to dress for winter weather. We created a graph of what and what not to wear and of course some crafts.


And after talking about our favorite snowy activities we made a snowman craft.
Here is my snowman. Each kiddo used a circle stamp to make the eyes and mouth and counted out loud as they did so. They also decorated their own hat and wrote their name to personalize them.









We spent a lot of time discussing and reading the story of the nativity. The children were very drawn to the story and of course had a lot of questions like "Why did God choose Mary to be Jesus' Mommy?" and some real kickers like, "How do babies come out of mommies?" 


They kiddos seemed to identify personally with the different characters which was a great opportunity to see more into their personalities. To go along with the nativity story we had made some adorable Christmas crafts.



Another lesson we learned was Christmas Traditions in our homes and around the World. The kids talked about different things their families do, such as decorate the tree and leave out milk and cookies. We also talked about the history of good old Saint Nicholas.

Our Santa Poem Read:
When Santa got stuck up the chimney,
He began to shout:
“You girls and boys,
Won’t get any toys,
If you don’t pull me out!”
“My beard is black,
There’s soot in my sack,
My nose is tickling too!”
When Santa got stuck up the chimney,
 “Aaachooo, achoo, achoo!”



One of the best and most important lessons we discussed was Giving. Christmas is such an exciting time for these munchkins and there are visions of toys and goodies dancing in their heads all month long. To reflect on giving and make the topic personal we read the story of the 3 kings. We discussed how they brought gifts to baby Jesus because they knew he was very special. To stem from this we made a little craft where the kids were prompted to think of a gift that they would give to baby Jesus. (This craft melted my heart) Picture 1 is the front and picture 2 is the back.

 

As a side activity we collected hats, mittens, and gloves for our “Giving Tree” to give to the needy in the community. We also collected canned goods for the local soup kitchen. This was a great lesson for the kids. A lot of the kids asked questions like “Who are these for?” and “Why don’t they have their own already?”  It was a great opportunity to share with the children how important it is to take care of each other and the world around us. You could see the pride in their little faces as they pinned their mittens to our “Giving Tree.”


December was a truly fantastic (and busy) month for us and now we have the new year ahead of us! Can't wait for all of the fun and learning to begin again!

Thanks for checking in,

Mrs. Winter :) 




 

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