These past few weeks have been dedicated to learning routines, getting to know one another and making new friends. It is important for the children to learn classroom routines so that they can become more independent. Some of our routines include arrival, check-in, circle time, snack and dismissal. The students learn how to pack and unpack their bags, where to keep their belongings, where items in the classroom are located and how to clean up. They learn expectations for circle and storytime, lining up and recess. I am happy to report that our class is a group of motivated learners. They have surprised me each day with their excitement for learning, kindness toward each other and participation. We are off to a great start! As the year progresses we will continue to work on building stamina for academic centers, waiting our turn, and listening to stories. A lot of learning happens in a day!
Our theme for the month is "All About Me". The students are learning about one another and themselves. We spent a little over a week reading stories and completing activities so they could share with one another their interests and what makes them unique. Then we talked about families; how there are many different kinds of families, but all families love one another. Next week, we'll focus on pets, those we have and those we wish we had.
Skills that we've been working on include, cutting, counting, drawing, book parts, comparing size, the concepts of same/different, Letters A and B, distinguishing between letters, numbers and shapes, and body parts.
Below are some examples of what's been going on in room 3 in September.
Play Doh Center: Students have been working on strengthening their hand muscles by rolling balls and snakes with the play doh. They also practiced cutting skills as playdoh is an excellent material because it is soft and easy to snip. Finally, students used their imaginations and creativity to create portraits of themselves using buttons, beads, eyes and other materials.
Sensory Table: The sensory table is always a popular center. The students scooped, poured, sifted and raked colored rice. It is wonderful to see the children explore the materials in the sensory table and the rice is great for encouraging pairs of children to work together.
As part of our home living theme in the dramatic play area, the colored rice was switched out to water. Students were able to practice washing dishes and dolls. This was another great sensory activity that encouraged pouring and scooping, but also strengthened hand muscles as the students squeezed water from sponges.
Block Area: The block area has a variety of construction toys. As a class, the children learned about the different-shaped wooden blocks and how they are organized into bins. The children worked together to built ramps, houses, buildings, tracks, etc. and then practiced matching the different-shaped blocks to a paper shape on the shelves to clean up. Magnatiles are a big hit too!
Dramatic Play: The dramatic play area is where the students can pretend. Over the past few weeks the theme has been "Home Living". Students practiced cooking and serving one another, taking care of a baby, and sorting food. Each week a new activity was introduced. First, the area was decorated for a birthday party and students were encouraged to set up for the party, make invitations, choose gifts, bake a cake, set the table, etc. The next week food that could be cut into pieces was added. Children were encouraged to make salads and sandwiches for a picnic. Finally, animals were added to the area and the students were encouraged to pretend to take care of the family cat and dog by feeding and walking the animals.
Art Center: In the Art Center the children learned the routines for easel painting. They were encouraged to free paint using a variety of colors. Later in the week, the children were asked to try to paint self-portraits.
Cars: This year a new race track was added to the block area. The cars seem to be a favorite toy for many students and the race track contributed to the appeal. I've really enjoyed watching the students play together, compromise and share while using this toy.
Discovery Center: Our discovery center will have a variety of science and math activities throughout the year. As a class we talked about different tools that scientists use and the students practiced looking at objects through a magnifying glass. We discussed the difference between what we see with and without the magnifier.
Puzzles and Games: The children discovered a variety of toys and puzzles in this area of the room and enjoyed learning about them with friends.
Writing Center: As part of our story time, we use the Fundations program to learn about letters and their sounds. This program is continued in Kindergarten and First Grade. For more information check here: Fundations Overview. So far I have introduced the letters A and B. Students have a chance to practice writing, stamping and tracing these letters in the Writing Center. They can also free draw, color, and make cards here.
Library: Library is always a fun experience for the students. Over the past few weeks, we have practiced our library routine of listening to a story, choosing a book and then playing. We are ready for our first Mystery Readers next month!
Below is a bulletin board display of a craft the students created to show the people that live in their home.
As part of our Learning Without Tears curriculum, we use wooden pieces to teach children to recognize the lines and curves in letters. We have been listening to many songs and doing several movement activities with these wooden pieces to familiarize the children with their names. Additionally, these wood pieces can be used to teach shapes and drawing. This past week, I introduced the children to Mat Man. Mat Man is a way to teach the children about body awareness, counting and drawing. You can see a video of the song here: Mat Man. The students then created their own self portraits trying to include the same parts as Mat Man. Below are a few examples.
It's been rainy this week, but when the children get outside they have a great time on the playground!
