Nursery Rhymes teach important skills such as rhyming, rhythm, and vocabulary. Children enjoy reciting the poems because they are short, often familiar and fun! Throughout our unit we focused on identifying rhymes, building vocabulary and sequencing. As we read and recited each rhyme, we talked about rhyming words. We also noticed the beginning sounds in the words in the titles. Connections between our study of letters and how they come together to make words were made. The children also practiced retelling as they acted out the rhymes in groups for the class and with puppets at dramatic play. Math was also incorporated into our study of nursery rhymes. The students continued to learn about shapes. We sorted shapes, combined shapes to make new shapes, described shape characteristics and used shapes in art activities. We have also been working on writing letters of the alphabet and numbers. Science concepts were also explored within the context of our nursery rhyme theme.
We are continuing with our Question of the Day. The children were asked if they would like to have eight legs like a spider, where they thought the cow went after he flew over the moon, if they had ever wished upon a star and if they have a grandfather clock at home. We are creating both bar and pictographs. Numbers have been added to the graphs to connect what we are counting with the numeric symbol. We are also comparing the columns using the words more and less.
Nursery Rhymes that we studied:
Humpty Dumpty
Jack and Jill
Hey Diddle Diddle
Hickory Dickory Dock
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Little Miss Muffet
Mary Had a Little Lamb
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
The first nursery rhyme that we read was Humpty Dumpty. After reading the rhyme, the students acted out the story. They then sequenced the story and did several related math and literacy activities. At the end of the week we wondered if Humpty could have been saved. I asked the students to think about what they could have placed at the bottom of the wall to soften Humpty's fall so he wouldn't crack. The students came up with great ideas such as a pillow, soft blanket, and water. We then tested out some of the students' ideas as well as some other materials. The children helped me to build a wall out of blocks. We then prepared the items into which we'd drop Humpty Dumpty; feathers, sand, pom-poms, stuffing, marbles, our bean bag chair and the soft rug. The children predicted which items would protect Humpty Dumpty from the fall and which items would crack his shell. The students' predictions were recorded on a sheet, as well as the actual results, so that we could compare. Using a hard boiled egg, the children dropped Humpty into each material and then passed the egg around for observations. Not surprising, Humpty Dumpty was protected by the soft materials, but cracked when dropped onto the marbles. We also learned that the soft materials needed to have several layers. The experiment sparked other ideas for materials to test. Finally, the children were asked to create a drawing of what they had learned. Their reflections were then dictated for a teacher to scribe onto their work.
Below are some pictures of students acting out Jack and Jill.
Our rendition of Baa, Baa Black Sheep:
Little Miss Muffet
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hey Diddle Diddle was a favorite nursery rhyme that allowed many students to take part.
Following our reading of Hey Diddle Diddle, we talked about the cow jumping over the moon and whether or not this was real or fiction. We decided to put this line into practice and see if we could launch a cow over the moon. The children designed paper rockets and we taped a cow picture to their side. During the design process, we discussed how one end of the rocket needed to be taped closed to trap the air and help the rocket launch. We also talked about adding wings and where they might be placed on the rocket. Next, the children took turns placing their rockets over the tube on a stomp rocket. They stomped and tested to see if their rocket would launch over the moon (a ball). I then recorded where each rocket landed.
Every week students practice turn taking and cooperative play skills through structured games. Here they are playing a Jenga-like game where they try to remove pieces of a wall without Humpty Dumpty falling down.
Later, children played shape bingo.
In the dramatic play area the students used their imagination to create puppet shows for their peers. I modeled how to tell a story using the puppets, a really tricky skill! The children did a great job of trying to introduce characters and interact with one another using the puppets.
At the sensory table, students had the opportunity to build water spouts and send spiders up and down their spouts with water.
The students continue to love working together to create something new! Below are some of their structures.
