Last week, we had so much fun with letter Vv. The kids enjoyed special play/learning centers as well as beautiful spring weather that was perfect for our butterfly release. We worked on our letters, numbers, had fun with music, and learned about gardening. Here are some photos and activities!
Vv is for Violin
This is one of my favorite books on CD. It's one of those stories where you look at the kids and can tell that they are all engaged and entranced. Before reading, we talked about different instruments they've already been introduced to. We talked about going to concerts, listening to music on CD's, and what instruments our older brothers, sisters, cousins, etc play. I did a picture walk and showed them all the different instruments in a chamber orchestra. Then, I played the story. Not only does it introduce musical education with the beautiful sounds of each instrument, but it combines counting and rhyming as well. The words of the story make a beautiful duo with the bright colorful illustrations and adorable little animals dancing on the corner of each page. They loved sharing what their favorite instrument was after reading the story! Many of them really impressed me with what they said!
Vv is for Vet
This might be my favorite dramatic play center we've done this year. I've seen all different pictures and ideas on Pinterest and other blogs and I was really excited to try it out this year. We kept the "Vet Center" open all week long so that the kids could get the most out of it and now that we cleaned it up Friday, I miss it! Our "South Street Vet" center consisted of a check-in desk, waiting room, and examination room. Materials included X-Rays that I found on Google, adorable printables I found on Pinterest, a medical kit, and many household, DIY items to make their play as realistic as possible! Besides playing at our special center, we talked about how Veterinarians help our community. We read Sally Goes to the Vet and thought about going to the vet from an animals point of view. We also talked about pets and what they need. The kids created adorable illustrations of their favorite pet with some little doodles explaining what their pet needs. We discussed what a vet does and our own experiences with pets at the vet. There are a ton of pictures!
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| One of our lovely secretaries getting ready for a busy day of appointments. |
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| One of our vets preparing for patients. |
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| Friends waiting patiently in the waiting room. I'd love to show their faces, but for privacy reasons, we have to blur them out! |
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| Reading up on horses while she waits for her puppy to be seen! |
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| Scrubbing in! I love this picture. |
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| Getting ready to see the patient. |
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| Examining X-Rays for broken paws. |
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| Bandaging, note-taking, etc. |
Vv is for Volcano
Volcanoes are so fascinating for anyone, but especially little ones. As soon as I said the word volcano, they went nuts! While attending some meetings, my wonderful sub Mrs. B read the class a nonfiction story about Volcanoes. They learned that an eruption is much like an explosion that takes place when you shake up a soda bottle. They discussed important vocabulary and facts about volcanoes. Then, on Friday with the PM kids and today with the AM kids, we created our very own volcano and predicted if it would erupt! I loved their faces as the mixture of water, baking soda, dish soap, red food dye and vinegar shot out of our dough & water bottle volcano. So fun!
Butterfly Release
The kids completed their last entry in their butterfly journals and continued to care for their little creatures. We had beautiful weather on Thursday and Friday, so we let the AM kids release the two butterflies they named (Friday and Bonjour) on Thursday and the PM kids release the three they named (Cupcake, Chloe, and Mario). We went out to the school courtyard, sang our song, and waved goodbye as each one flew away. Even though we were a little sad, we were happy to see them fly freely and were comforted to know they would be back to visit us! :)
Flowers/Plants
Throughout the week, we learned about gardening, the life cycle of plants, and parts of a flower. We did this through song, storytelling, science experiments, hands on crafts, and various student run learning centers. They were introduced to important vocabulary and the tools needed to garden. We read stories such as How a Seed Grows and Planting a Rainbow. We pretended to be farmers as we sang "The Farmer Plants the Seed". We talked about experiences planting and gardening. We looked at real flowers and talked about what each part does. They created little lift the flap booklets and put together puzzles to recreate parts of a flower. They also sequenced events, sorted vegetables and flowers, and practiced writing vocabulary. We are also still working on an ongoing science experiment. We placed four white carnations in separate vases. Each one was filled with water mixed with food coloring (red, yellow, blue, and purple). We are beginning to see the color of the flowers change! This is to show the kids the process they learned about with each part of the flower. They learned that the water makes it's way up the flower stem from the roots to the top of the plant. They also learned what plants need to grow: water, sunlight, soil, seeds, and love (one of them said this right away...adorable).
The kids also did their usual routine with the letter of the week and their popcorn word "and". I was soooo proud to hear and see them finding the letter and words of the week all over the classroom and in their library books. They are so smart! Our number of the week was 12.
We are also in the middle of some very important Mothers' Day surprises! I will be posting photos and more after our Mothers' Day Tea next Thursday. I don't want to give anything away to any moms who are reading this! :)
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