Activities for Tuesday, October 19, 2010

All the kids went outside to the playground today again. We are loving this great weather.

Willow- T/TH

Our story today was The "Bumpy little Pumpkin" by Margery Cuyler

For our second circle we did "The pumpkin song"

For art today, we tore strips of orange paper and glued them onto paper plates cut into pumpkin shapes. We had black paint and orange paper at the easels.

We did the "Freeze dance" and used streamers to dance along to the music. We sang "Pumpkin in the red barn", a rhyming song.

We had leaves and pine cones in our sensory table and we counted hte pine cones too. We danced again with the catalpa pods during choice time.

Oak Room

"Autumn's First Fall" by Steve Metzger was the story we read today.

We did a fun art project today that we will turn into fall leaves. We first colored brown paper with fall colors. Then we painted over it with brown paint (which won't stick to the crayons). After it dries, we will crumple it up and cut them into leaf shapes.

We danced to a song called "animal actions".

We guessed which objects were hidden in the bag that start with the letter "F".

we ad a magnetic board game out today where we sorted people, places and things.

Mr. Apple Worm song

Have 5 apple shapes and a worm shape cut out of flannel (or paper). You could even use real apples.

(The tune to this is 5 little monkeys sitting in a tree)

Place 5 apple shapes out and sing:

5 little apples sitting in a tree, teasing Mr. Apple worm "You can't catch me, you can't catch me"
Along comes Mr. Apple Worm (slowly move worm shape around apples) as quiet as can be......
CRUNCH! ( and grab and remove one of the apples.) Now there are only 4 apples.

4 little apples...... repeat until all apples are gone.

The children enjoy this, especially if you really emphasize the CRUNCH.

Activities for Monday, Oct. 18, 2010

We played outside on the playground today. Let's keep this streak of nice fall days going!

Willow Room: MWF class

Our story today was called "Piggies in the pumpkin patch" by Mary Peterson

We asked the question "Are you a boy or a girl? and graphed the results.
During our second circle we did the apple worm rhyme, which I will put in a separate blog posting.

Today for art, the children cut strips of orange paper into little pieces and glued them onto a paper plate shaped like a pumpkin. we will use them to decorate our bulletin board.

At the easels we had orange paper and black paint with paint brushes.

We did the freeze dance using streamers to dance and freeze to the music. We also did "pumpkin in the red barn", which is a rhyming song. we ran out of time, so we ended with singing the ABC song.

We had leaves and magnifying glasses in our sensory table. Some of the children explored the properties of magnetic wads, seeing what they would stick to around the room.

We did dancing to music shaking catalpa pods.


Maple Room:

We read "There was an old lady who swallowed some leaves" by Lucille Colandro .

We made beautiful leaf prints today using real leaves and water colors. They are outside out classroom in the hallway. They children really enjoyed this project, some made several of them.

We had paint and brushes at the easel.

We sang "brightly colored leaves, October song amd 5 little pumpkins.

We worked on some letter "D" activities.

Oak Room:

We read "The falling leaves and the scarecrow" by Steve Metzger

We painted on bubble wrap with fall colors of paint. Then we pressed a piece of paper on the bubble wrap to make a print. We will cut them into corn on the cob shapes for our bulletin board.

We sang "Way up high in the apple tree", and "Leaves falling down"

We are talking about the letter "F"

Activities for Friday, October 15, 2010

Another beautiful day to spend some time on our playground! All classes went outside. Please remember jackets.

We practiced a fire drill today (the Willow room was already outside on the playground so they did not practice evacuating)

Willow Room: MWF class

We read a book called "The apple pie tree" by Zoe Hall. We asked the children what they like to eat that is made with apples.

We used pine cones to paint; we rolled them in a big empty plastic pretzel container. We did finger painting at the easel using our finger tips.

We sang "Hello everybody" " walking shoes," and "the Apple tree".

We looked at a seed pod from a catalpa tree. We shook it and heard the sounds of the seed rattling inside. We even used them as instruments during choice time as we sang and danced to music.

Maple Room-

We read "The Legend of spookey the square pumpkin" by Joe Troaino

We made pumpkin lanterns, it was a cutting project, the paper is folded in s a special way and when they children cut on the lines, and you open it, it becomes a lantern.
We sang "The October song", "5 little jack o lanterns (with actions), and "4 little leaves"

We practiced writing the letters we have learned, A,B,C in upper and lower case.

We had time to sit and do some of the table fine motor language and math games with individual children today.

Oak Room:

We read "The growing story" by Ruth Krauss

We finished up our "All about me books" we had the children draw a self portrait and also colored a picture using their favorite color. We bound the books and sent them home today.

We had out some activity cards called "My home" with words and pictures on them. The children use dry erase markers to write the words.

We had out the sound puzzles and some bugs to sort by color, or type.

We sang "Zip-i-de-do-dah- a letter sounds song. And "leaky umbrella" using maracas. We used our dry erase boards to write the letter "E" today.

Activities for Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010

All classes went outside for large motor time today!

Willow Room- T/TH class

We read "Hands are not for hitting" by Martine Agassi

Our question today was "How are you feeling today? The children placed their name under the face of their emotion.

We made "apples" at art today, we glued seeds and a star inside an apple.

We had finger painting at the easel.

Our music today was "Hello everybody", "The apple tree" and walking shoes"

We looked at a catalpa pod from the catalpa tree. We shook it and heard the seed inside rattle. we also used them as instruments during choice time as we sang and danced to music.


Oak Room:

We are working on our all about me books, so we read "I can do it myself" by Diane Adams .

we finger painted and then we made the children's handprints for our books.

We had a farm building block set out, and ABC puzzle where you had to complete the alphabet to make a picture. We also had the letter "E" puzzle and books out today.

We did the "rock and roll Freeze dance" using jingle belts. The children wear the belts and dance to the music; then "freeze in place" when the music stops.

We asked "What words start with the letter "E".

Activities for Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Willow Room stayed inside due to some nearby passing storms, but by later in the morning, the storm had passed so the Maple room and the Oak room classes went outside to the playground.

Willow Room- MWF class

We went to the gym today and played with tossing games, a rocking alligator, some tricycles, and had so much fun.

Our story today was "Apples and Pumpkins" by Anne Rockwell. we graphed which kind of apple we like best too, red, yellow or green. We did an apple worm counting flannel board game too.

We used apple shape sponges to make prints on paper. We had watercolors at the easels.

We danced to "The list of dances" by Jim Gill and also by him "may there always be sunshine"

Maple Room- MWF class

We read "The mouse and the apple" by Stephen Butler

We used eye droppers to drop two colors onto paper towels to make a third color. We used Red, Yellow and Blue. We will make them into leaf shapes for our bulletin board.

We had leaf shapes at the easel.

We sang The October song, Leaf song, and a-p-p-l-e
We danced to List of dances, and under the broomstick

We played outside.

We did some Letter "C" activities and we played a rhyming game.

Oak Room:

We read the second book in the series "Even more parts" by Tedd Arnold

Today was a journal day, we traced a picture of something that starts with the letter "E" and practiced writing the letter.

We sang "Come and get a smiley face", "Hands are for clapping" and "When I was a little fish"

we took the children in small groups to play a game and we measured and weighed all the children today.

Activities for Tuesday, October 12, 2010

We played on the playground today. We looked at the leaves falling off the trees.

Willow Room:

We are talking about fall, apples, pumpkins and leaves. We read "apples and pumpkins" by Anne Rockwell
we asked what color apple do you like? We did apple sponge painting prints, we made red apple shapes on black paper.
We had watercolors at he easels.

We did "The list of dances" and "the apple tree song"

We used our new orange playdough with pumpkin shape cookie cutters.

Oak room:

We read "Parts" by Tedd Arnold

We did marble painting to make covers for our books.

We sang "Old McDonald had a band", using instruments; "pirate song" and "Today is Monday"

We are talking about the letter E this week.