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April 30

In Literacy, we will continue working on rhymes, playing new matching rhyme games, and playing rhyming Bingo. We will even begin writing and illustrating our own rhyming stories and poems!

In Math, we will continue using different tools to weigh and measure ourselves. We are also revisiting some of our favorite projects from earlier in the year. One of the most successful projects has been “shape detectives” - wherein the children look around our classroom, our park, or our neighborhood to identify various shapes. We’ve covered rhombus, circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and trapezoid. Ask your child if they can find any shapes in your home!

In Science, we will continue to focus on birds by talking and reading about where they live. The children have been making paper-bag bird houses and trees with birds as a related art activity.

In Drama, in May, we will continue to talk about serving our communities and helping our families and neighbors. I will read A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams and talk about all the workers and neighbors who supported this family in need. I will bring back our firehouse setting exploration as part of that story.

In Art, we have begun potato-printing blossoms on our beautiful spring cherry tree branches. This might be a little messy, so please dress your children appropriately. Thanks!

In Music, we are deciding on the songs we want to sing for our end of year Sings. It is exciting to see the children develop their own musical taste, sharing which songs they like and why. The 3s and 4s have also taken a liking to the rhythm games, asking for more time spent on this, so I will be introducing slightly more complex rhythm repetition concepts for them to try.

The Twos have had a great week playing with the soft blue blocks, mingling in the large classroom with the 3's and 4's and playing in the park. We read I Don’t Want to Go to Bed by Julie Sykes, Dear Polar Bear by Barry Ablett and I Have a Balloon by Ariel Bernstein.

In ASL, we will learn the phrases, “What is your name?” and “Nice to meet you!”

APRIL 23

In Literacy, we will explore some of our new classroom pop up books, such as Alice in Wonderland. Using those as our inspiration, we will create our very own pop up stories. Finally, we will practice our letter writing with different manipulatives, such as dab-a-dot markers and water color paints.

In Math, we will continue to explore measurement, both length (how long?) and weight (how heavy?), we will practice comparing different objects as well as making predictions about objects. We will continue to talk about using T-charts to record and display the things we learn. 

In Science, we continue to focus on birds. The children will have the opportunity to make a bird house (out of paper) and they will continue to draw and dictate stories about birds for our classroom book.

In Drama, we will explore measurement and problem solving in the story, Inch by Inch, by Leo Lionni. The children will take turns being the clever inchworm and various birds. We will pose the question: How do we measure the nightingale’s song?

In Art, we will continue to welcome spring using straws, ink and potato prints to create a beautiful blossoming cherry tree branch. As an extension, some children may want to create a creature to make a home on this branch.

In Music, we have two fun new songs we are learning: Baby Shark and Oh Mister Sun. Baby Shark has accompanying hand movements, with a specific order of shark sizes that the children must remember, and it turns into somewhat of a game learning the order of sharks. Oh Mister Sun has American Sign Language motions that we are incorporating as well.

The Twos have had a fun week playing in the playground, singing some new songs in music, and listening to books at the listening center. We read Bear and Bee, by Sergio Ruzzier and A Visitor for Bear, by Bonnie Becker and Kady McDonald Denton.

In ASL, we are learning the signs for Sunshine, Play, and Children.

April 16

In Literacy, we will continue to practice sequencing our stories with a beginning, middle and end. We will also add speech bubbles and punctuation for our characters when we want to add dialogue to our stories that we are writing and illustrating. We will read the book, Exclamation Mark! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.  And, for good measure, we will explore some pop-up books. The children will really like that!

In Math, we will continue to explore measurement, both length (how long?) and weight (how heavy?), we will practice comparing different objects as well as making predictions about objects. We will begin to talk about using T-charts to record and display the things we learn. 

In Science, we will begin to focus on birds by finding out what the children already know about birds --- a KWL study (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned). We will also have some fun activities about bird sounds. And finally, the children will draw and dictate stories that will eventually be compiled into a classroom bird book.

In Drama, we are focusing on bird stories, such as Are You My Mother?. The baby bird depends on the kindness of strangers to find his or her mother. Children will play dual roles of the baby bird and supporting characters.

In Art, we will welcome spring using straws, ink and potato prints to create a beautiful blossoming cherry tree branch.  As an extension, some children may want to create a creature to make a home on this branch.

In Music, we are learning movements to the song, On the Sunny Side of the Street to help us learn and internalize the lyrics to the song. We are also continuing the process of recognizing tempo, and different ways of feeling time in a song. How can we count beats in a song, or in a rhythm? We are exploring this question through games and song practice.

The Twos are getting reacquainted after the Spring break and we were excited to go outside and have music with Rebecca and art with Nancy. Before the break some of the books we read were: Mouse's First Spring by Lauren Thompson and Hooray for Spring! by Kazuo Iwamura, They also listened as a group to audio books Knuffle Bunny and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.

In ASL, we will learn the signs for Bird. Spring, Flowers, and Tree.