october 30
In Literacy, we will have some spooky fun with letters. We will trace our letters in our mystery sensory letter bags, find our hidden letters with water color paints, decorate our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree and use our Dab a Dot stamps to make our letters!
In Math, our block inventory is well underway. The students have been counting by ones, counting in groups (two groups of 3 makes 6!), and subitizing (visually recognizing how many in a group rather than counting one-by-one). We will continue our work with blocks by charting the results of our inventory.
In Science, we will continue with our KWL about trees and make a chart so we can see what the children know, what they want to know, and what they have learned. We will visit the Gingko tree to see if there have been any changes and we will play a fun game of sorting different colored leaves.
In Drama, as we continue our community curriculum into November, we will be telling and creating stories with fall and harvest settings. We will play with and rake the fall leaves with two good friends, Frog and Toad, who always like to help each other.
In Art, we will start the week by carving pumpkins. The children will be given the opportunity to help decide on the best designs and help scoop out the pumpkin seeds and pulp. They’ll also able to design their own Jack-o-Lantern faces on paper pumpkins. At the end of the week, we will finish the fall multimedia collages we have been working on.
In Music, we are learning What a Wonderful World, sung by Louie Armstrong. We have an illustrated book that the children can look at, and use the visual cues to help them learn the lyrics. We are also continuing our work with rhythm sticks and creating a unified beat as a group.
The Twos will continue to go to the park, have music with Rebecca and art with Nancy and play in the larger classroom. Last week the children enjoyed parachute games and books. These are a few of the ones we read:
Tree by Britta Teckentrup
The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward and Lisa Falkenstern
Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
In ASL, we will learn the words for: Costume, Bat, and Witch.
October 23
In Literacy, we will begin sequencing with some of the stories we have been reading, such as Pete the Cat books, Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Gigantic Turnip. We will use our story clothesline and felt storyboard to retell these class favorites!
In Math, we continue our work in the block center. We will use small bins to help sort and count. Cleaning up blocks is no chore - it's an amazing opportunity to teach and learn. We will practice our math skills of one-to-one correspondence, sorting, and counting. Our four-year olds are even exploring the concept of "skip counting" - 2-4-6-8. We will also practice sharing, taking turns, being a leader, and working together. Lastly, our block inventory project continues - we are learning how to make and use charts to capture and display information.
In Science, we will continue to talk about trees, leaves, and the changes that occur in fall.
We will begin a KWL (what do you know, what do you want to know and what you have learned) about trees starting with what do you know.
In Drama, we will be moving and shaking our Halloween bones. Old Mother Witch will make her annual visit with her friends to play some rhyming games. The children will help Baby Bones find his daddy, Mr. Bones, as we continue our curriculum of helping a friend.
In Art, having completed our watercolor wash backgrounds, we are beginning to explore a multi-media depiction of a fall tree by blowing ink through a straw, printing and collage.
In Music, we will continue to explore keeping time as a group. We are also learning the song, What a Wonderful World and we have a book that shows pictures associated with the lyrics to help the children learn the words.
The Twos will continue to play in the big classroom, go to music and art and will go outside to the playground.
In ASL, we will learn a new Halloween song and the signs for: Jack O’ Lantern, Trick or Treat, Pumpkin and Halloween.
October 16
In Literacy, we will continue working on rhymes. We will play new matching games like rhyming bingo, and sing the song Down by the Bay. We will even begin writing and illustrating our own rhymes!
In Math, we will continue working in the block area since it’s a great place to explore math! While at play, we are learning about turn-taking, making space, and balance. Additionally, we are learning about shape and size relations (four curves make a circle, two units make a double-unit). During clean-up time, we will continue to practice counting, sorting, and grouping. We will work together to develop a system for taking inventory: how many blocks do we have? How many do we need? What is the best way to collect and present this information?
In Science, we will continue to focus on fall, leaves, and trees. We will take nature walks in the neighborhood and discuss our observations. We will also visit the gingko tree by the park to see if there have been any changes. The children will have the opportunity to play matching leaf games and do leaf rubbings.
In Drama, we will move into some Fall and Halloween themes. Children will reenact a story about a scared little ghost who can’t say “Boo.” The children will incorporate rhyming, motif response, and movement into the storytelling.
In Art, we will celebrate Fall. We will use a variety of age-appropriate tools and techniques (painting, printing, and collage) to create images of leaves and all things Fall.
In Music, we will focus on what it means to follow the beat, or feel rhythm, in the songs we are singing. We will use different hand percussion instruments such as egg shakers, rhythm sticks, and small drums to try to create a unified beat. We will explore questions such as "What does it mean for a beat to get slower or faster?" We will incorporate these exercises into the game "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?"
The Twos will continue to explore more of the larger classroom. They will visit the different centers and have a chance to mingle with the older children. We will continue to practice walking on the rope and take short walks outside.
In ASL, we will learn and review the signs for Pumpkin, Ghost, and “Happy Halloween.”
October 10
In Literacy, we will begin learning and playing games about rhymes! We will read some of our favorite rhyming books, like Frog on a Log? and the sequel, Dog on a Frog?.
In Math, it will be block center time! Our selection of math manipulatives will remain available at the math table, but we’ll also be in the block area counting blocks. We will conduct an inventory of our blocks, which means sorting, grouping, and counting. We'll use math terminology like more than and less than. And we will introduce estimating as we take stock of our blocks. (To see the exact names of the blocks we’ll be counting, please see the attached document in the News & Views email.)
In Science, we will continue with our focus on fall. We have been observing leaves and trees while walking in the neighborhood. We have chosen one tree in particular to study – the Gingko (which the children want to name Gingka). We took a picture of its green leaves and now the children will predict what colors they will turn. This project will be ongoing and documented through photography, drawing and writing.
In Drama, we will move forward into storytelling incorporating some familiar characters into original scenarios about community. We will also begin reenacting some school rules that the children have been writing and illustrating.
In Art, we will add color to ink drawings (of ourselves) by painting with liquid watercolors. These “self-portraits" are an opportunity to participate in what has become an annual Square 1 Art school fundraiser.
In Music, we will review the songs we have learned so far - including Puff the Magic Dragon, I've Been Working on the Railroad, If I Had a Hammer, and continuing our newest song, There Was A Great Big Moose. We will also incorporate small hand percussion instruments into our song review to get more comfortable feeling the beat of each song.
The Twos will spend more time exploring the bigger classroom and continue getting to know each other and the teachers. We will practice walking to different areas of the classroom using the rope in preparation for going to the playground. We will visit the back room for games and dancing and also participate in Music and Art.
In ASL, we will review/learn the signs for colors starting with Red, Yellow, Green and Brown.
October 2
In Literacy, we will continue being the authors, illustrators and collaborators of our “rules of the school” book, finishing it by voting on a title. We will also play some fall-themed games with the letters of our names!
In Math, we will continue to play our lotto board game using classmates' pictures. This is a great opportunity for children to practice taking turns, sharing, and helping a friend! The concept of one-to-one correspondence that we've explored with this lotto board will lead us to adventures in counting. We've already been practicing in the block area. During clean up time, we sort the blocks that need to be put away by size and shape, then we group them into sets of five, and then we put the sets away.
In Science, we will continue looking at nature objects with magnifying glasses. The children have been observing, drawing, and talking about seed pods, rocks and shells. Now we will add leaves to our activity as we go on a nature walk to observe the changing of the seasons. As an ongoing project, we will take pictures on our walk and take note of what we see.
In Drama, we will introduce characters through Coffee Can Theater. We will choose some familiar stories and characters from Nursery Rhymes to reenact.
In Art, we begin the year with a self-portrait using watercolors and markers. A few years ago, the parents asked if these portraits could be produced on “Square1 Art” paper. Square1 Art is a company that will transfer children’s artwork to mugs, cards, and a variety of gift items. If you are interested, this is a small fundraiser for the school and also an opportunity to create handmade gifts before the holidays. There is no obligation here; you will still have your child’s beautiful portrait whether or not you participate!
In Music, we will continue getting used to our routine of singing our names in attendance, and developing our song repertoire. We will begin learning a new song with movements called There Was a Great Big Moose. We will also work on developing a sense of rhythm with the game, "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?"
The Twos have had an amazing start of school. This week the children will have their first week with full sessions. We will continue getting to know each other, having fun, and participating in music groups and art activities.
In ASL, we will learn and review the words we use in snack: Cracker, Juice, Water, and Help