All About Me

We have been quite busy in room 1 getting to know friends, learning to follow routines, exploring new toys and materials and having fun while learning.  Last week we began our All About Me theme to help us get to know one another.  We talked about our physical traits and what makes us the same as well as what makes us different.  We read the following books:
 All Are Welcome
Following this story about how different children all interact at school and all are welcome, students created self-portraits to be hung on our door.

 We Are All Alike... We Are All Different
This story was a great introduction to the ways in which we are all the same and how our unique differences make us special.

 I Like Myself
Following the reading of this story, we talked about the importance of loving yourself no matter what.  On a concrete level we talked about our unique and shared physical characteristics.
One way that we did this was through creating a class graph about our hair color.


 The Colors of Us
The Colors of Us compares skin colors to different foods such as honey, cinnamon, peaches, pizza dough, etc.  It celebrates that we are all unique and beautiful.  Students tried to match their skin color to crayons and colored in their handprint for a class display.

In addition to talking about and learning information about one another, we have continued to learn class routines.  After learning about the routines for several of our centers- dramatic play, sensory table, playdoh, blocks center and the art center, we read Pete the Cat's Rocking in My School Shoes by James Dean.  The students then painted their own school shoes with watercolors and shared their favorite school activity.  Along with preschoolers from the other three programs, we created a bulletin board showcasing the children and their ideas.

Art Center

One of the first centers introduced to the students was the Art Center.  The children learned how to paint at the easels following three important steps, 1. Put on a smock.  2. Write your name on your paper (or get help doing so). 3. Try to keep the paint brushes with their same color.  The children have been learning about color mixing and how to create secondary colors (yellow and blue make green, red and yellow make orange).  They have been demonstrating their artistic talents painting various pictures.

Sensory Table

The sensory table is an area for exploring a variety of materials.  Our first sensory material has been rice.  The children have been working together to pour, fill different containers and search for letters.

 

Playdoh

At the playdoh center students practiced fine motor skills as they rolled balls and made "snakes."  Students then applied these skills to create likenesses of themselves, friends and family.

Literacy

Combining both literacy and art, this week we focused on students' names.  First the students created negative space paintings of the first letter of their name.   Next, students stamped their names and finally the children painted their names with dot markers.  In addition to art activities students are learning to recognize their names as they sign in each morning, locate their seat for the day and answer a question of the day.

Interactive Play

It has been wonderful to watch the children interact with one another through play.  Our dollhouse has provided the opportunity for the students to converse through pretend play, acting out scenes from their own home experiences.  Problem-solving skills are also practiced as children learn to share new toys.

Math Center

Our math center contained birthday cakes.  Students were asked to put birthday candles in each cake to match the number on the outside.

Library

This past week we had our first trip to the library.  After reading a short story, I gave the children a tour of the library and each student chose a book.  The children then brought their books to the check out counter where the librarian, Mrs. Farrahar, entered them into the computer.  The children then explored the many toys available at the library.

Recess!

Recess is a favorite time of day.  The children are having a blast on the equipment, making up games and interacting with their peers.

Choose to Be Nice Assembly

On Friday we had our first all-school assembly.  The theme was Choose to Be Nice, a social emotional curriculum that works to create a culture of kindness in schools.  Dr. Billsborough and the school psychologist introduced us to the 9 Nice Mice.  Each mouse represents a particular value such as respect, kindness, teamwork, responsibility, etc.  We will be learning about a new word each month and doing an activity to go along with each of these values.  You can find more information here: https://choosetobenice.com/