An Apple a Day = Lots of K4 Play

We spent the week exploring apples.  All of our learning objectives were carried out using apples!  Our letter of the week was A and our poem of the week was about apples.  

Apples juicy, apples round

On the tree or on the ground.

Apples yellow, apples red

Apple pie and juice and bread!

Apples crunchy, apples sweet

Apples are so good to eat!

The science center contained apples and books.  We learned about the parts of an apple by dissecting them.

 We removed apple seeds and used them to count. 

We tasted red, yellow and green apples then chose which we liked best. We then wrote about it. 

All of the kiddos brought in apples to share.  We sorted and graphed them by color.  We all used the apple peeler/corer/slicer to prepare them to make applesauce.  During a large group discussion, we made a chart listing how apples look, taste, feel, sound, smell.

One of our favorite books this past week was "Ten Apples Up On Top" by Dr. Seuss.  We practiced identifying and ordering numbers.

We had apple races down ramps and the sliding boards on the playground.

My apple is done racing, can't I just eat it already!

Forest Friends

Toad was finally able to come home!  He spent the summer with a good friend.  One of my kiddos was particularly interested in toad, so I had him help me set up toad's forest floor habitat.  We went out to the woods and he used a shovel to dig up some earth.  We dumped all of the loose dirt, decaying leaves, sticks and rocks into the terrarium.  Next came toad's little pond with fresh water.  Finally we put toad in.  He was so excited that he wouldn't leave toad's side for the rest of the day.

A few days later I brought toad lunch (crickets).  All of the kiddos loved watching toad catch his lunch.  They were very fascinated by the whole process.  We will also use the forest floor terrarium to study decomposition, seeds, worms and other insects.  Almost every visitor to our classroom is immediately drawn to this little ecosystem.

We learned about squirrels this week by reading many nonfiction books.  We gathered the facts and wrote a story about them together.

We learned about squirrels.  They 

climb up trees.  They can eat acorns. 

 They even have sharp teeth and 

bushy tails.  Squirrels are 

happy and brown.

We also read "Earl the Squirrel" by Don Freeman for fun.  The illustrations are fantastic and the story is engaging.  The kiddos did a great job pointing out the portions of the story that are fantasy and contrasting them with the squirrel facts that they just learned.   

We used unit blocks and nature blocks to build many different structures.  These kiddos are building castles for the fairy princess.

I like to introduce different tools to the kiddos during art.  We painted with feathers.  Every child used the tool a little differently.  

We have been learning about Creation.  I have a box with many picture books, story bibles and props so the kiddos can re-tell it over and over.  They have also done a wonderful job learning their memory verses.  I am so proud of them.

We begin every day with a time of prayer and praise.  It really does set the tone for the day.  

All About Me

We enjoyed getting to know each other the first few weeks of school.  Here are some highlights...

The kiddos made "All About Me" stars and presented them during circle time.  They all did a great job!

 We decorated paper dolls to look like us!

One of our favorite activities was playing with the alphabet robots. We practiced our fine motor skills by transforming them from alphabet letters to robots.  Lots of twisting, pulling and turning.   

The kiddos LOVED the book "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Willems.  They took turns reading it to each other. 

These two kids worked very well together to 

build a tall marble run.  

Play dough is always fun.  The kiddos came up with some interesting creations using the rollers, cutters, muffin trays and bread pans.  This little boy was busy making pizza.

We practiced writing our names in shaving cream.  

We are looking forward to our next theme "Forest Friends."  Be sure to check back soon!

Welcome to K4!!!

Welcome to our K4 class blog! Here is a quick tour of our classroom. I've also listed some of the amazing things that your child will do there. The walls are mostly bare waiting for the kiddos creations. The centers are very basic for the first week or so. New provocations and invitations to play are introduced weekly.

In the art center the kiddos will...

-describe an event, create symbols, and put ideas on paper

-develop fine motor and visual motor skills

-engage in creative expression

In the writing center the kiddos will...

-develop the understanding that print is written speech

-focus on letter formation and the sequence of sounds in words

-engage in book making, journal writing and labeling

-relate the sequence of illustrations

In the science center the kiddos will...

-develop skills in observation, exploration, description, making comparisons and classification

-investigate relationships using resources

-use problem solving strategies

During the first month of school, we will set up our forest floor terrarium and our fish tank.

In the block center the kiddos will...

-describe spatial, size and weight relationships

-develop problem solving and measurement skills

-develop balance, sorting and cooperation skills

In the math center the kiddos will...

-practice grouping, classifying, ordering, patterning, weighing, measuring, and counting one to one

-connect real life story problems to numeration and equations

The dramatic play area is where the kiddos practice real life situations. They will use many math and literacy skills as they create jobs and life situations. A lot of important social skills are learned here such as sharing, taking turns, cooperating, impulse control and dealing with disappointment. They will problem solve, negotiate, organize and plan. This area will change according to interests, inquiries and projects.

There are books available in every center. The kiddos are encouraged to explore them freely. I take great care to fill the classroom environment with books and print that engage and excite them. Early literacy experiences help to develop print awareness and left to right flow of print,

develop comprehension and interpretation of text, and enhance storytelling and 

literature appreciation.

I am excited to see how the room changes as they make it theirs!  

Next week, I will show you what the first week of K4 looks like.