Busy Pre-K'ers Wrapping up their Year! Past 5 Weeks...

Crunch time has set in!  Our busy kids have been practicing and singing their songs everyday in preparation for their Moving Up Ceremony in 7 (!!!) days.  It's been a while since I put up an entry, so here is a summary of what we did....

Xx Week

Highlights: Xx is for X-Ray.  We revisited X-Rays that we look at during Vv week for the vet center.  We talked about what X-Rays are used for.  We also learned about body parts and bones.  We read and sang Dem Bones (The toe bones connected to the foot bone, the foot bones connected to the ankle bone, etc).  We also learned about xylophones.  The kids played on a virtual xylophone on the Smart Board and with a water xylophone we made together!  It was a very musical day.

Our math lessons for the week were based on greater than/less than/equal to.  All week, we compared numbers.  Each morning, we counted how many boys and girls there were and compared them.  They sat at different learning centers and identified and compared numbers using "alligators" (clothespins) on paint samples.  We read Alfie the Alligator and they absolutely adored this hilarious alligator puppet I found on Amazon that went perfectly with the book.  We learned the following rhyme for comparing numbers:

"Alligator, Alligator, which one will you eat?  

The bigger one, the greater one!  It will be sweet."

After learning the rhyme and reading Alfie's book, the kids practiced comparing numbers at the felt board and at various math centers.  They also created their own comparison using Goldfish Crackers. 

 

Zz Week/Zoo Week!

Highlights:  Zoo Week.  Everything we did during Zz week had to do with zoo animals.  We sorted animals, read stories about the zoo, talked about past experiences, and played many games.  Some of our favorite games included a roll n' stamp number identification game, a number matching game where the kids had to put animals in their cages, and "ROAR", a sight word game.  They also created a sight word book called My Zoo Book.  They already knew the words I, see, and the.  They cut out their words and pasted them onto each page and stamped the animal corresponding to the one at the end of the sentence.  A lot of the kids were able to identify the animal by the first letter/sound.  They also created adorable zoo animal masks.  

Beach/Review Week

I think we can all agree that we're ready for the beach!  We decorated the classroom with beachy items and the kids had a blast digging for shells in the sand table.  To review our shapes, we played at a popsicle stick/shape construction center.  They also created some pretty cool suns for the Moving Up Ceremony that helped them review their shapes. We also reviewed numbers, patterns, letters, and sight words throughout the week at the rug and during centers.  We also read one of my favorite Eric Carle Books, A House for a Hermit Crab.  It's perfect for this time of the year because it's about a hermit crab that grows too big for his shell...he then spends an entire year making new friends that help him decorate his new shell.  At the end of the story, the hermit crab has grown again and it's time for him to move into a new, bigger shell with new friends.  After talking about the similar situation with, our almost-kindergartners, the kids made their own watercolor hermit crab shells and decorated them!  This week, the kids also went to their kindergarten screenings.  We read many kindergarten stories and practiced our songs.

Last Week

In preparation for Fathers' Day, the kids began putting together a few special projects for their dads.  We read stories such as Daddies do it Different(a really funny one about a child comparing her mom and dad) and Only My Dad and Me.  We also talked about our favorite Pre-K memories and created a special project that will be hanging up at our ceremony.  The most popular answers to their favorite memory were the Leprechaun's visit, the igloo, and the volcano.  We also read Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss and talked about our hopes and dreams for the future.  To review our sight words, we played various games including a ping pong ball game in which each child had a ball with a sight word written on it.  When their word was called, they had to shoot the ball into the bucket.  It was good for the kinesthetic learners in the group.  We've also been having lots of outdoor playground fun! 

This Week

The countdown begins!  There are 7 more days until the ceremony and only 5 more regular days, then 2 half days after.  It's unbelievable.  We're busy this week practicing our songs, finishing Fathers' Day projects and preparing for the "Beach Ball Fathers' Day Bash" tomorrow, and learning about Flag Day.  Today, the kids listened to a great nonfiction picture book called F is for Flag.  After learning about the flag and looking at many pictures, they created their own flags using white paper and red and blue fingerpaint!  They came out really nice and the morning class will bring them to the Flag Day ceremony on Friday. 

We Have Some Creative, Smart Cookies on our Hands...

I've been catching the kids coming up with really creative and cute ideas!  Check out these pictures... 

They came up with this idea!  Made a "School Bus" and pretended they were riding the bus to Kindergarten! :)

Playing school!

Writing sight words on our own without being prompted to or helped.

Check out Spongebob!

Doesn't this look like the Stonehenge?  So awesome.

Update Coming Soon!

I haven't put anything up in a few weeks, but pictures and entries are coming soon!  This is a crazy time of the year...can't believe that there are 2 more weeks of school left!

Letter Yy & Mothers' Day Tea

Last week in Pre-K, we celebrated a very special and important day: Mothers' Day.  The kids were busy all week and weeks prior preparing for their big tea party.  The letter of the week was Yy and the popcorn word of the week was "play".  Here are some photos of all that we did.

Letter Yy & Jackson Pollock

For letter Yy, we made yarn splatter art.  The kids were introduced to another artist: Jackson Pollock.  They learned that Pollock didn't like to use a paintbrush; he preferred to splatter paint with sticks and make a big, beautiful mess.  We looked at different works of art by Pollock and then created our own neon, splatter art creations using yarn and sticks.  They loved this silly, messy, colorful activity!  Their paintings were amazing and will be put on display in our hallway.  We also reviewed the color yellow, made yellow Yy's for our alphabet books, and searched for things that are yellow. 

Mothers' Day Tea

I wish that I had more pictures of the activities.  Mothers' Day is such an important day and we devote a ton of time to preparing for it!  I don't have pictures of all the gifts, but we made a few different crafts.  A few weeks ago, while we studied plants and flowers, the kids planted their own marigold seeds in flower pots they designed.  During the last few weeks, we took care of our flowers by watering them and making sure they got enough sunlight.  We also made a handprint craft with the following poem:

A piece of me
I give to you.
I painted this flower
To say "I love you."

The heart is you.
The hand is me.
To show we are friends-
The best there can be.

I hope you will save it
And look back someday
At the flower we shared
On your special day.

Accompanying the poem was a beautiful pastel handprint flower with a thumprint heart in the middle and a hand painted stem by each kid.  We also included a picture of each child on the page and matted it on pretty colored paper.  Probably my favorite gift is the Mothers' Day Interview.  Each kid draws a picture of their mom and I ask them questions such as their mom's name, age, what makes her laugh, what she'd do if she had more time, favorite food, etc.  

After all the gifts were wrapped and prepared, we needed to prepare some yummy snacks and decorate the room.  Using coffee filters and magic markers, we made beautiful flower corsages for the mommies to wear.  First, they colored two filters.  Next, we sprayed them with a water spray bottle.  After they dried, we scrunched them from the center and added a safety pin and added a little spritz of rose perfume to each!  The kids also made name plates for their Mom's so that they could find their corsages and treats.  The treats included various sugar/shortbread cookies that the kids decorated with colored icing and paintbrushes!  They loved painting with icing.  Refreshments also included iced tea and lemonade.  We finished off the tables with pastel table settings and fresh Lilacs.  Our last gifts were two very special songs.  M-O-M-M-Y (to the tune of BINGO) and Barry Manilow's "I Am Your Child".  The kids were prepared-mommies might have happy tears!  The next day, the kids all confirmed that their mommies had happy tears and one little boy told us he did too...could not even deal with the cuteness.  Our party was a great success and it was so nice to see the smiles on everyone's faces!  

The poem came from this awesome blogger!

As our year comes closer to it's end, we're busy with the usual end of the year routines: assessments, progress reports, kindergarten orientation, screenings, etc.  We're also getting ready for our big moving up ceremony in June!

One Wild Week

What a wet, wacky week Ww week was.  Our week included a farm unit incorporating Whales, Mrs. Wishy Washy stories, Western Day, water fun, and Cinco de Mayo!  Scroll down for pictures and more...

Wheels & Whales

Our first day back, we followed our typical letter introduction routine.  The kids absolutely loved beginning to trace/write letter Ww by "driving" up and down their letters with toy cars (Ww is for wheels).  For the first time in a few months, we opened up the water table. Monday was all about whales.  We read Whale of a Tale by Bonnie Worth.  The kids were exposed to different kinds of whales and sorted pictures during centers.  They also created a window whale craft.  We made a list of facts that we learned about whales from our stories and observations.   Some of our facts included...

1) Whales are mammals that live in the ocean

2)  They do not have hair.  Their blubber keeps them warm.

3) The biggest whale is the Blue Whale

4)  Whales have tails that move up and down

5)  They have a blowhole on top of their head that helps them breathe

6)  Some whales have teeth and some have something called balleen

 

The kids sorted different types of whales and some groups played Memory.

Sorting by size

Farm Fun with Mrs. Wishy Washy

The Mrs. Wishy Washy stories by Joy Cowley are a great component of a farm unit.   We spent Tuesday and Wednesday learning about farms and continued some of our favorite fun activities throughout the week.  We read Mrs. Wishy Washy and Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm.  The kids talked about their experiences on farms and we looked at pictures of farms.  We also sorted animals that belong and don't belong on a farm, played with farm themed play doh mats, and put together farm animal puzzles.  Our favorite activities were the "Wishy Washy Hokey Pokey", the story reenactment props, mud fingerpainting, and the Wishy Washy sensory table.  The Wishy Washy stories are about a pig, a duck, and a cow that live on Mrs. Wishy Washy's farm.  The three animals love to roll in the mud and despise taking their baths, but always have to listen to motherly Mrs. Wishy Washy.  Many of our centers that were based on these stories let the kids get messy!  We used "mud" (shaving cream and brown tempera paint) to make muddy animals for the hallway display.  At the sensory table, the kids reenacted the story using farm animals, mud, and a "bathtub" filled with soapy water and toothbrush/scrub brushes.  Even a week later, the kids are still asking me if they can play "Mrs. Wishy Washy" with the Beanie Baby animals and tub/scrub brush props at the block rug.  The kids also put together sight word puzzles and used their journals to retell and illustrate their favorite parts of Mrs. Wishy Washy's farm.  

Getting good use out of old Beanie Babies again!

 

Loved hearing the kids imitate Mrs. Wishy Washy and her animals.

Before....

Those are some messy animals!

Western Day

On Thursday, we went on an adventure to the "Wild, Wild, West".  Activities included "panning for gold" in the sand table, horseshoe prints, making hats, building sight words using magnet letters on cowboy boots,  drawing/writing about if they were a cowgirl and cowboy, and racing "horses" outside!  We also read Cowboy Bunnies by Christine Loomis and sang songs such as "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain". 

 

Yeehaw!

Cinco de Mayo

In preparation of the Cinco de Mayo Sunday, the kids got a little taste of Mexican culture on Friday.  During the week, we discussed the upcoming date.  On Friday, we looked through non fiction stories and learned how to count to ten in Spanish.  We discussed the country of Mexico, the flag, and traditions such as foods, dances, games, songs, instruments, and clothing.  We celebrated by making paper plate maracas and doing the Mexican Hat Dance.  We also had some really tasty Mexican food.  I brought in my guacamole bowl and various foods and we made salsa, guacamole, and cheese quesadillas!  The kids were a huge part of the cooking process!  I helped them (using plastic cutlery) cut up the ingredients, measure, and mix.  They always love cooking activities.  I was so proud of all the kids who tried new foods.  Many of them were a little apprehensive about trying some of the foods, but a good majority of them tried all the foods and liked them!  It was a successful and fun fiesta!

Yum!