January 22 - 25

This week, we read different versions of Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk. On Tuesday, we started school late, but we still got to read an original version of Cinderella. We also made paper crowns and practiced making patterns on them with gems. On Wednesday, we read 2 alternative versions of Cinderella. We also had Spanish class with Mrs. Leslie! We learned how to say winter (invierno) and some words associated with winter, like animals that hibernate and clothing items you wear in the winter. There was no school on Thursday due to ice, but on Friday we read Jack and the Beanstalk. We planted beans in a clear plastic cups and the children made predictions about what they thought would grow from the beans. Some thought a giant beanstalk would grow just like it did in the story! Others thought a giant flower would grow or maybe a small stem with more beans on it. We also started a writing/art project related to the story. Students started with the prompt: “If I climbed a beanstalk, I would find...” and they had to draw and dictate what they would like to find. There have been some very creative answers so far! The final products will be posted on the bulletin board outside of the classroom as soon as they are completed. Next week, we will continue to read different versions of Jack and the Beanstalk. We will finish out the fairy tale unit by reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff at the end of the week.

Setting up a feast for their dolls

Watercolors

Drawing a flower

Future architect?

The Preschool Princesses

Playing with the water beads in the sensory table

Our beans on day 1

Working together to sort animals into their habitats

Very proud of their puzzle

Creating animal habitats

January 14 - 18

This week, we focused on The Little Red Hen and Little Red Riding Hood. On Monday, we read an original version of the Little Red Hen and used a story map to identify the characters, setting, problem, and solution. On Tuesday, we read "The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza," and then we made our own pizzas! Each student followed the recipe, and once it was completed, they all got to eat the pizza that they made! On Wednesday, we read an original version of Little Red Riding Hood. We also took a walking field trip to the Fairlee Public Library and had a very fun, winter-themed story time with Mrs. Samantha. We read a story about a giraffe on skis, and Mr. Matt surprised us by putting on his giraffe costume and helping Mrs. Samantha tell the story! The children loved it so much, they tackled him! We also painted snowmen with puffy paint and had a "snowball" (cotton ball) scavenger hunt followed by an impromptu "snowball fight." On Thursday, we read a Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood called "Lon Po Po." We talked about how this version was similar to the original version and how it was different. Finally, on Friday, we made predictions about how much snow we thought would fall over the weekend. We put these predictions into a table and we will look back at them on Tuesday to see who's prediction was closest. Next week, we will focus on Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Making pizza

Someone enjoyed her fluff sandwich!

Mr. Matt the giraffe acting out the story with Mrs. Samantha

We love Mr. Matt the giraffe!

Now THIS is the way to listen to a story!

Painting snowmen with puffy paint

"Snowball" fight

January 7 - 11

This week, we focused on the fairy tales "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and "The Three Little Pigs." We read different versions of the stories and talked about how they were different and how they were similar. The children also enjoyed acting the stories out using puppets. Since the Three Little Pigs story centers around their homes, the science topic that we learned about this week was animal habitats. We listened to a song about habitats and wrote down the animals and their habitats that were mentioned in the song. After the song was finished, we brainstormed more animals and habitats and ended up with a great list! Since we got so much fluffy snow on Wednesday, we filled up the sensory table with snow on Thursday and Friday for children to explore. On Friday afternoon, the students completed a STEM challenge related to The Three Little Pigs. I gave students popsicle sticks, clay, tape, and cardboard and challenged them to create a home for their little plastic piggy that could withstand a huff and a puff from the "Big Bad Wolf" (me). It was great to see students persevere through frustration and try new approaches to this engineering challenge! Next week, we will focus on "The Little Red Hen" and "Little Red Riding Hood." 

Letter-sound matching puzzle

He couldn't get enough of the alphabet puzzles!

So proud of her artwork

Scary dinosaur/troll/dragon

Our brainstormed habitat list

Snow in the sensory table

Little piggies in their house made of snow

Building snow houses 

We sure do love Ms. Becka! :)

Buried in snow

Impromptu yoga session

Doing the "fish" pose

A couple of natural yogis

STEM Project results

So proud! 

"The wolf can't climb, so the pig will be safe up there"

A creative solution to the problem...just tape the piggy in!

The product of A LOT of hard work

January 2 - 4

After a nice, long winter break, we came back to school on Wednesday of this week. It was so great to see each other again! All of the students had plenty of stories to tell about the adventures that they had over break and the amazing things that Santa brought them for Christmas. This week, we focused on rhyming. We greeted each other at Morning Meeting with matching rhyming cards. We also read a number of silly rhyming books and sang some rhyming songs. The playground was incredibly icy this week, so we had to get creative with our recess time. On Monday, we were able to use the gym which was great! We played with soft balls and set up a fun obstacle course! On Tuesday, the gym was unavailable, so we had a very fun, extra long dance party, and we also went out into the hallway and used the new sensory walk in lots of fun and creative ways. On Wednesday, the whole school had had enough of indoor recess, so we blocked off the bus loop and played on the pavement. The students had fun playing with trucks, hula hoops, balls, and other outdoor toys. Next week, we will begin a new Fairy Tales unit! We will start with Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Little Pigs. We will be learning how to retell familiar stories through dramatic play, puppet shows, and reader's theater. We will also work on comparing and contrasting different versions of the same story. In science, we will learn about real animals' habitats, and we will do a STEAM project where students will try to build a house for the Three Pigs that will stay standing through huffs and puffs! 

Proudly showing off her writing (car, cat, and mom)

SME Preschool Bank

Pretend play with animals

Using the rocks in the science center to create beautiful pathways

Spooning

Lacing

Obstacle course in the gym

Fixing up their favorite doggies

Slithering like snakes on the sensory walk

Reading "The Cat in the Hat"

Pajama Day!

Too cool for school :)