A Peek at the Week
Apples, pumpkins, and farms were the topics this week. The children made paper apples or leaves by tearing paper and gluing it on the apple or leaf shape. These are displayed in the classroom. Thanks to Mrs. Savinelli (parent in the morning class) for supplying a great apple tasting chart, the students each got to try a green (granny smith), red delicious, and a yellow delicious apple. They told a teacher their favorite, and their name was written on an apple of that color. Check out photos at the website.
On Thursday some of the class chose to help make applesauce. The children helped cut the apples using plastic knives and put the sugar, water, and cinnamon in the dish. We microwaved it for approximately 15 minutes (depends on how many apples you use). The children enjoyed tasting the applesauce, which was delicious! This would be a great activity to do at home: talking about amounts such as a little, more, less, and descriptive words such as pouring, stirring, and cooking. (Recipe on back)
The Halloween party on Friday included a pumpkin project, yummy snacks, and goodie bags. Nate (a boy in the morning class) gave each child a ghost lollipop, and Mrs. Babbitt made goodie bags for each child. Thanks Mrs. Babbitt!
Centers: Farm animals and barn, pattern block pictures, shelf toys, kitchen, coloring, Look what I can do, and sensory table with pumpkin “guts”.
PT Group
Apples and pumpkins were at one end of the room, and the children had to ride their scooter boards to the other end and get a certain number of apples and pumpkins as Renee told them. It got tricky when she started asking for different numbers, such as one apple and three pumpkins. This was a great listening activity as well as movement.
THANK YOU’s!
Thanks to Mrs. Babbitt for her help with the party as well as the goodie bags! Thanks to Mrs. Beck for her help with the party too! Thanks to those parents who provided snacks/juice!
Thanks to Mrs. Savinelli (parent in the morning class) for the great apple tasting chart, and for supplying apples to taste. Thanks to Nate Schmidt from the morning class for the lollipops.
New class pets!
New this week: two fire-bellied toads in an aquarium at the science center. The children enjoy watching the frogs hop and swim in the water. Anyone willing to pick up crickets for the frogs one week, please let us know.
Reminders/Help needed:
§ Parent conferences will be held Nov 1 and Nov 4. Please verify your time and let me know if you need to change your time. There will be no afternoon class on these days.
§ Help needed: We are running low on our class supply of spoons and napkins for snack each day. Can you help? Thanks.
Looking Ahead
In November our topics will be: Finish up with apples and leaves, Farm/Tools, Friendship/Thanksgiving, and Furniture and utensils.
Website: To see the site, visit www.cromwellschools.com/ecs and click on Maruschock-Prek.
Email: knagy@cromwellct.org
Have a safe and fun Halloween weekend!
Thursday, October 21, 2004
A Peek at the Week
This week at school the class did lots more fun things with shapes and colors. The students worked on rhyming with color words such as “green, bean” and “square, bear”. The big hit was in the block center where the students were provided with a variety of balls and ramps make of PVC pipes sliced in half. The children set these up around the block center, and then rolled the different balls down the ramps. This was a great activity for using descriptive vocabulary, such as “fast, slow, down, up, higher, lower, on, under, and through”.
** be sure to check out the pictures of this and other fun during the week**
http://photos.yahoo.com/ecsprekclass@sbcglobal.net
More Vocab: square, circle, rectangle, oval, star, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon, trapezoid, small, medium, and large, ramp, tunnel, cylinder, roll.
Centers: Magic painting: paint on white paper with water colors and watch as a shape magically appears on the paper (we used white crayon to draw the shapes on before the activity). Science table, balls/ramps center, practice corner, using shape sorters at the shelf toys center, and finding shapes around the classroom and checking it off on a clipboard. At Look what I can do, the children practiced cutting shapes which ranged from straight lines to circles. Some of the students started drawing in their “Science Journals”. Their first task was to draw a picture of the balls and ramps center to illustrate what they did there. The children did a great job with this for their first time, and will continue to be given opportunities to draw more in their journals.
Speech and Language: This week Matt and Molly talked about “The Hungry Turkey”. In this story Matt and Molly tried to figure out what a turkey likes to eat. Through this story we learned how to use the words to indicate negation. We also practiced sequencing, yes/no and wh questions. Our sound of the week was /l/. We call this the “tongue lifter”. Next week we will start our stories with Braidy. Please remember to bring in your special thing when it is your turn.
PT Group
This week the students used scooter boards to “deliver” shapes to the correct large wooden cut out shape. Each student picked up one shape, rode down on their scooter however they wanted…some on their bellies, their knees, or their bottoms. They then matched the shape with its larger match, and went back for another shape. This was a lot of work, but everyone worked together and got it done!
THANK YOU’s!
A Big thanks to Mrs. Marczuk for donating wooden puzzles to the classroom. These were a big hit with the children during out puzzle center last week…they are sure to get lots of use this year and for years to come!
Thanks to the Perry family for donating some much-needed items for the Humane Society. This is something the class has done in previous years, and more info will be coming soon. I will deliver these and other items I have received from my neighbors recently to either Meriden or Newington’s Humane S.
New class pets!
New this week: two fire-bellied toads in an aquarium at the science center. The children enjoy watching the frogs hop and swim in the water.
Reminders:
§ Sneakers & comfortable clothes every Wednesday for PT group.
§ Comfortable shoes every day for outside playtime and fire drills.
§ Parent conferences will be held Nov 1 and Nov 4. Please verify your time and let me know if you need to change your time. There will be no afternoon class on these days.
Looking Ahead
The last week of October will be about farms, apples, and fall time. We will be tasting apples, and making applesauce. We will be having a small Halloween party Friday October 29th. You will hear from the room parents with more information, as it gets nearer. If you would like to volunteer in the classroom to help with a project involving one of the upcoming topics, please let us know.
Website: To see the site, visit www.cromwellschools.com/ecs and click on Maruschock-Prek.
Have a great weekend!
** be sure to check out the pictures of this and other fun during the week**
http://photos.yahoo.com/ecsprekclass@sbcglobal.net
More Vocab: square, circle, rectangle, oval, star, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon, trapezoid, small, medium, and large, ramp, tunnel, cylinder, roll.
Centers: Magic painting: paint on white paper with water colors and watch as a shape magically appears on the paper (we used white crayon to draw the shapes on before the activity). Science table, balls/ramps center, practice corner, using shape sorters at the shelf toys center, and finding shapes around the classroom and checking it off on a clipboard. At Look what I can do, the children practiced cutting shapes which ranged from straight lines to circles. Some of the students started drawing in their “Science Journals”. Their first task was to draw a picture of the balls and ramps center to illustrate what they did there. The children did a great job with this for their first time, and will continue to be given opportunities to draw more in their journals.
Speech and Language: This week Matt and Molly talked about “The Hungry Turkey”. In this story Matt and Molly tried to figure out what a turkey likes to eat. Through this story we learned how to use the words to indicate negation. We also practiced sequencing, yes/no and wh questions. Our sound of the week was /l/. We call this the “tongue lifter”. Next week we will start our stories with Braidy. Please remember to bring in your special thing when it is your turn.
PT Group
This week the students used scooter boards to “deliver” shapes to the correct large wooden cut out shape. Each student picked up one shape, rode down on their scooter however they wanted…some on their bellies, their knees, or their bottoms. They then matched the shape with its larger match, and went back for another shape. This was a lot of work, but everyone worked together and got it done!
THANK YOU’s!
A Big thanks to Mrs. Marczuk for donating wooden puzzles to the classroom. These were a big hit with the children during out puzzle center last week…they are sure to get lots of use this year and for years to come!
Thanks to the Perry family for donating some much-needed items for the Humane Society. This is something the class has done in previous years, and more info will be coming soon. I will deliver these and other items I have received from my neighbors recently to either Meriden or Newington’s Humane S.
New class pets!
New this week: two fire-bellied toads in an aquarium at the science center. The children enjoy watching the frogs hop and swim in the water.
Reminders:
§ Sneakers & comfortable clothes every Wednesday for PT group.
§ Comfortable shoes every day for outside playtime and fire drills.
§ Parent conferences will be held Nov 1 and Nov 4. Please verify your time and let me know if you need to change your time. There will be no afternoon class on these days.
Looking Ahead
The last week of October will be about farms, apples, and fall time. We will be tasting apples, and making applesauce. We will be having a small Halloween party Friday October 29th. You will hear from the room parents with more information, as it gets nearer. If you would like to volunteer in the classroom to help with a project involving one of the upcoming topics, please let us know.
Website: To see the site, visit www.cromwellschools.com/ecs and click on Maruschock-Prek.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, October 01, 2004
Afternoon Edition October 1, 2004
A Peek at the Week
This week we learned about how to take care of ourselves/our bodies. This included reviewing the steps to washing our hands, and why it’s so important to wash our hands. It also included “practicing” brushing teeth on paper teeth with shaving cream, and identifying self-help objects such as those listed in the vocab list (see below). Be sure to ask your child questions about this topic such as “why do we wash our hands?”
During our end of the day circle, the class played “Duck Duck Goose”. Everyone enjoyed playing this game, and really got the hang of it by Friday. A great game to play on a rainy day at home.
Vocab: germs, wash, brush, soap, toothpaste, hairbrush, toothbrush, washcloth, towel, and clean.
Centers: dolls/babies at kitchen, brushing teeth on easel with shaving cream, shelf toys with zipping/lacing/buttoning boards for practice, Look What I Can Do center with tracing, coloring, writing in journals, and an ABC floor puzzle.
Speech and Language:
This week Matt and Molly were talking about “Molly’s Sunglasses”. The children learned the signs for: sunny, day, confused, surprised, jump, wave, and asleep. They practiced naming alphabet letters and numbers and began to work on the concepts of print: upside down, sideways and backwards. We continue to sign and sing the alphabet and they are learning to sign their numbers up to ten.
When we work on Matt and Molly stories each week we address the skills of yes/no questions, wh questions, sequencing and expressive language. The children enjoy each phase of the stories. During our phonological awareness activities we also work on rhyming with the sound they are learning. This week and last we focused on the /s/ sound. bowen-mishou@cromwellct.org
PT Group
With Renee this week the children continued practicing using beanbags, and balancing them, this time using TWO bean bags. Renee would give an instruction, such as “put the bean bag on your back” and the children had to figure out how to bend their bodies, and walk from one end of the AP room to the other and then back.
The OT Corner (Occupational Therapy)
Hello to all of you, especially those I did not have an opportunity to meet on ‘Meet The Teacher Day’! My name is Margaret Root and I am the Occupational Therapist in the Pre-K program. I would like to use just a little space in the newsletter from time to time to offer suggestions about activities that could be done at home to enhance the fine motor and visual motor development of your child.
For example: Now that fall has arrived it’s a great time for children to get involved in raking. It’s a great way to build strength and coordination in the upper body. Believe it or not stability, large motor coordination and endurance in the shoulders and torso lay the best foundation for writing later. It is also a good time to teach children to ENJOY being good helpers! Have a wonderful weekend!
Margaret Root
Looking Ahead
October topics will include: colors, shapes, farms, apples, and fall time. Next week is colors week. If you would like to volunteer in the classroom to help with a project involving one of the upcoming topics, please let us know.
Website Update: The Website is up and running, though we are a bit behind on posting newsletters. Please bear with us as we get this going again. If you wish to view the pictures, you need to email me, and I will email you the link. You CANNOT reach the pictures by clicking on the link provided at the Website. To see the site, visit www.cromwellschools.com/ecs and click on Maruschock-Prek.
knagy@cromwellct.org
Reminders:
§ Sneakers & comfortable clothes every Wednesday for PT group.
§ Comfortable shoes every day for outside playtime and fire drills.
This week we learned about how to take care of ourselves/our bodies. This included reviewing the steps to washing our hands, and why it’s so important to wash our hands. It also included “practicing” brushing teeth on paper teeth with shaving cream, and identifying self-help objects such as those listed in the vocab list (see below). Be sure to ask your child questions about this topic such as “why do we wash our hands?”
During our end of the day circle, the class played “Duck Duck Goose”. Everyone enjoyed playing this game, and really got the hang of it by Friday. A great game to play on a rainy day at home.
Vocab: germs, wash, brush, soap, toothpaste, hairbrush, toothbrush, washcloth, towel, and clean.
Centers: dolls/babies at kitchen, brushing teeth on easel with shaving cream, shelf toys with zipping/lacing/buttoning boards for practice, Look What I Can Do center with tracing, coloring, writing in journals, and an ABC floor puzzle.
Speech and Language:
This week Matt and Molly were talking about “Molly’s Sunglasses”. The children learned the signs for: sunny, day, confused, surprised, jump, wave, and asleep. They practiced naming alphabet letters and numbers and began to work on the concepts of print: upside down, sideways and backwards. We continue to sign and sing the alphabet and they are learning to sign their numbers up to ten.
When we work on Matt and Molly stories each week we address the skills of yes/no questions, wh questions, sequencing and expressive language. The children enjoy each phase of the stories. During our phonological awareness activities we also work on rhyming with the sound they are learning. This week and last we focused on the /s/ sound. bowen-mishou@cromwellct.org
PT Group
With Renee this week the children continued practicing using beanbags, and balancing them, this time using TWO bean bags. Renee would give an instruction, such as “put the bean bag on your back” and the children had to figure out how to bend their bodies, and walk from one end of the AP room to the other and then back.
The OT Corner (Occupational Therapy)
Hello to all of you, especially those I did not have an opportunity to meet on ‘Meet The Teacher Day’! My name is Margaret Root and I am the Occupational Therapist in the Pre-K program. I would like to use just a little space in the newsletter from time to time to offer suggestions about activities that could be done at home to enhance the fine motor and visual motor development of your child.
For example: Now that fall has arrived it’s a great time for children to get involved in raking. It’s a great way to build strength and coordination in the upper body. Believe it or not stability, large motor coordination and endurance in the shoulders and torso lay the best foundation for writing later. It is also a good time to teach children to ENJOY being good helpers! Have a wonderful weekend!
Margaret Root
Looking Ahead
October topics will include: colors, shapes, farms, apples, and fall time. Next week is colors week. If you would like to volunteer in the classroom to help with a project involving one of the upcoming topics, please let us know.
Website Update: The Website is up and running, though we are a bit behind on posting newsletters. Please bear with us as we get this going again. If you wish to view the pictures, you need to email me, and I will email you the link. You CANNOT reach the pictures by clicking on the link provided at the Website. To see the site, visit www.cromwellschools.com/ecs and click on Maruschock-Prek.
knagy@cromwellct.org
Reminders:
§ Sneakers & comfortable clothes every Wednesday for PT group.
§ Comfortable shoes every day for outside playtime and fire drills.
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