E is for Easter

Today the children enjoyed two great read alouds The Night Before Easter and There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Chick.  The children also went on a Easter Hunt to look for the Easter Baskets that the Easter Bunny hid on them.  During centers today the children visited two centers.  At one they followed a rebus recipe to make bunny bait.  At another center they made the book Counting Colorful Eggs. During snack we had an Easter celebration.  I would like to thank everyone who donated items to make our celebration special!!

Well I won't see your children until a week from now, so I have included some great Easter links with projects and games.  The fist link http://www.education.com/activity/preschool/easter/ has wonderful art project ideas that can be made with items that you have around the house.  The second link http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/easter/games.php has online games that include an Egg Hunt, Eggbert's Tic Tac Toe, Easter Egg Designer, and Bunnies Jigsaw Puzzles.  At the last link you will find a selection of printable Easter coloring pages.  http://www.nickjr.com/spring-holidays/easter/ I have noticed during playtime that a large amount of children are visiting our writing center.  They truly enjoy having a conversation with each other while coloring their masterpieces.  I hope you enjoy the precious moments with your children during our break.  I know I will enjoy some quality time with my daughter!

Special Person's Day

Today was a great day!!  The children visited four centers with their Special Person.  They explored iPads, used frogs to measure logs, leaped to lily pads that had letters on them, and made a frog headband.  We will use the headbands to act out the song "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" tomorrow.

Wide Mouthed Frog

Today the children enjoyed two  read alouds The Icky Sticky Frog and The Wide-Mouthed Frog.  All animals have their favorite foods, and the wide-mouthed frog couldn't be more curious about what they are. This talkative frog with a huge mouth just can't stop asking the creatures he encounters what they like to eat -that is, until he stumbles upon a creature who just loves to eat wide-mouthed frogs!  With the use of some quick wit he is able to make an escape from his predator.

At one center today the children were given a frog mask with a party blower attached as an Icky Sticky Tongue.  The children were also given a set of flies that were programed with the concepts they are working on mastering for their progress report.  The children spread out their flies and used their icky sticky tongue to catch them.

Today we also sang the song "Five Green and Speckled Frogs."  At the second center the children visited they made 5 frogs on a speckled log.  We worked on writing numbers, putting numbers in order, as well as strengthening fine motor skills by making speckles.

Beavers

Today we listened to the song "Beaver Call."  I have attached the link for your enjoyment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMc45A5-izU  During centers today the children made a beaver puppet.  We used the puppet to act out our new song.  At another center the children played a Beaver Log game.  On their turn they rolled two dice and counted the sum.  They then moved the corresponding number of places on their game board.  If they landed on a picture they produced a word that rhymed with it.  If they landed on a log space they were able to take the corresponding number of logs (pretzels).  The children used their logs(pretzels) and mud(peanut butter) to make a beaver lodge.

Lucky Leprechaun

Today when the children came into the classroom they noticed that something was a miss.  Chairs were turned over and toys were spread around the room.   It must have been a Leprechaun.  He also hid shamrocks around our room that had  a small gold treat attached to them. 

Today the children visited two centers. We discussed how if you find a four leaf clover you can make a wish.  At one center the children patterned green and white beads to make a shamrock necklace.  At the other center the children journaled about one thing they are lucky to have.  Many mentioned brothers, sisters, and other family members.

Turtles

Today the children learned the rhyme, "I Had a Little Turtle."
I had a little turtle
And he lived in a box.
He swam in the water
And he climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at a minnow.
He snapped at a flea.
He snapped at a mosquito.
And he snapped at me.
He caught the minnow.
He caught the flea.
He caught the mosquito.
But he didn't catch me!
  

Our read aloud today was titled 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Turtle Splash!  This story has a turtle splashing into the pond on each page.  We used this book to work on subtracting one on our fingers.
At one of the centers today the children cut out the body of a turtle.  They then painted a section of an egg carton for its shell.  At another center the children played a roll and add turtle game.

The pictures that I took today did not load properly, but I do have a few from last week to share.

Ducks

Today we read one of my all time favorite stories One Duck Stuck.  "Splish, clomp, pleep, plop, plunk, sloosh, slosh, slink, zing."  When, "Down by the marsh, by the sleepy, slimy marsh, one duck gets stuck in the muck," who comes to the rescue? Two fish, splishing, for starters. Then three moose clomping, four crickets pleeping, and so on. Still, "No luck. Still stuck." It takes a whole lot of teamwork to get this particular stuck duck unstuck from the muck.
At an independent center today the children followed a set of directions to make a duck puppet of their own.  Now until the end of the school year it is my goal to prepare the children for kindergarten.  In kindergarten they are going to have to follow multiple step directions and complete tasks independently.  The children did an outstanding job with this today!  The children then used the puppet to retell the story.

At another center the children used pudding to finger paint muck.  They then stuck their duck in the muck.

Dr. Seuss

Today we celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday.  We ate cake and played a Cat in the Hat game with our buddies.  Please take some time this weekend to read a Dr. Seuss book.

Fish

To begin this week we have been talking about fish.  In February we learned about ocean animals, and in March we will talk about ponds.  Fish live in both of these habitats.  Today the children listened to the story The Rainbow Fish.  Shining from Rainbow Fish's multicolored body are several shimmering silver scales. All the other fish in the ocean admire him and want to play, but Rainbow Fish is too proud to play with them; nor will he share his sparkling scales. Alone and friendless, Rainbow Fish soon learns that generosity is far more rewarding than keeping everything for yourself.  

At centers the children made a Rainbow Fish of their own.  They cut out its body.  They put their hand in a bubble wrap glove and painted their fish to look like it had scales.  Lastly, they put on a shimmering scale.  At my center the children fished for rhyming words.  When they caught a fish they looked at the picture on it.  They then matched it to the picture it rhymed with on their recording sheet.  At an independent center the children listened to the story Fox in Socks.