Sept 8-11
September 10, 2009
PreK News
Its been a busy and fun time for our second week at school. Briefly, here are some of the things that we covered:
Religion:
We’ve been talking about God being the Creator of all things, are learning to make the sign of the cross before and after our prayers, and started reading stories from Catholic Treasure Box books. On Tuesday we celebrated the Nativity of Blessed Mother.
Math:
We’ve been continuing our calendar work, and made a picture graph showing the number of girls/boys in our class.
Language:
Talking, listening to stories, songs and fingerplays are used to help develop language skills. We’ve done “Hokey Pokey,” and “Farmer in the Dell.” On Friday we had show and tell. We have introduced all of the signals for the alphabet! The children are doing so well with that. Next week we will begin having a “letter of the week” which, of course, will be “a.” Wednesdays will most likely be the day when we will have a special snack to go along with our letter for the week.
Handwriting without Tears:
You may have heard some songs that we have learned from this program: “Pick Up a Crayon” or “Tap, Tap”. We use very small flip crayons which each have two colors, and one needs to “flip” it around to change to the other color. We have learned the names of our fingers and how to hold our crayon: thumb, pointer, and tall man. The children have really enjoyed “Tap, Tap”: they use the “big lines” wooden pieces, and tap to the rhythm. Listening closely is required as they have to stop when it says stop.
Science:
We have seashells to examine; dinosaurs are always of great interest; and next week we will have a parent, Monica Kelley, help us clean up our garden plot and plant some new things. (There is a garden plot in the middle of the playground behind the school; each class from PK-5th grade has a plot.)
Centers/Art:
The children continue to love playing in the kitchen, socializing and doing imaginative play. Using the construction toys (Lincoln Logs, and another building set) are quite a challenge for them, but some are remembering how to construct items using the pictures in the guidebook. Playdough is always popular, and many made pictures with our dot markers this week.
Behavior/Discipline:
Two of the most important virtues for our little folks to acquire are order and obedience. I attempt to help them learn this through our practices of lining up, being orderly in the classroom, and following instructions. Lying still for rest time is difficult for some, but everyone does lie down for a rest even if they don’t sleep. To encourage their cooperation with quiet time, the children may earn a star for being quiet or sleeping. Once they have 5 stars on their chart, they may choose a little prize.
See you at the picnic Saturday evening,
Mrs. Karen Bianco
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