1/25 Classroom Update

This week, we learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and also focused on celebrating our differences. We discussed how it does not matter what people look like or if they are different than us, but what matters is that we are all special people on the inside deserving of kindness and respect. We celebrated our differences and what makes each and every one of us special and unique. Here are some highlights from the week:

After reading It's Okay to be Different by Todd Parr, we discussed how our differences are what make us special and unique. There is no one exactly like us! Our preschoolers then wrote and drew a picture of something that makes them special! 

We learned that Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream of a word where all people were treated equally and with kindness. We came up with our dreams of how to make the world a better place! Our "dreams" are currently displayed in the hallway!

During circle time, we compared a brown egg and white egg. We noticed that while they were different colors and sizes, they both felt the same when we touched them. After cracking them open, we noticed that they looked exactly the same on the inside! We talked about how people are kind of like the eggs: we all look different on the outside but we all are people who deserve kindness on in the inside!

Learning about beats and rests with Ms. Janet!

After reading the Dr. Seuss classic The Sneetches, we each got to share something that makes us special!

Important Dates/Reminders:

Scholastic Book Orders: This week, I sent home Scholastic book orders in your child's folder. January/February book orders are due by Thursday, February 7th. You can order books online by completing the steps below. You may also turn in your paper order and payment to me and I will input and send in your order for you.

1. Go to the Scholastic Reading Club Website here.
2. Click Connect to your Teacher and enter our class activation code: PJFBX.
3. Then click to order from this month's flyer. Our default flyer is the "Early Childhood" flyer; however, you may order from any of the flyers. You can view more details about each book and add them to your cart by clicking on them in the flyer. 
4. After selecting your items, click on the cart to create an account or sign-in to your existing account in order to check-out.  
5. January/February orders need to be placed by Thursday, February 7th.

Mid-Winter Break: There will be no preschool on Monday 2/18 and Tuesday 2/19 for a mid-winter break. School will resume on Wednesday 2/20.

Kindergarten Registration: The EGRPS website regarding kindergarten registration information has been updated. Intent to enroll forms will be posted beginning Feb. 1. The link to the page can be found here: http://www.egrps.org/enrollment/kindergarten-program/.

Have a great weekend!

1/18 Classroom Update

This week, we focused on ways to keep our bodies healthy! We emphasized the importance of washing our hands, covering our mouths/noses when we cough and sneeze, and the importance of rest. We did a demonstration with glitter to show germs are spread from person to person, and also met my friend "Sick Simon" (a spray bottle) who is learning how to cover his mouth when he coughs and sneezes. We will also check back in on an experiment we started last week where we rubbed potatoes on different surfaces we thought might have germs to see what happens 😆. Here are some picture highlights from our week in preschool:

We finished our polar bear paintings from last week. They are now displayed in the hallway!

Our dramatic play center is now a doctor's office!

During free choice time, playing with our Zoo Phonics letters has become a favorite pastime. These friends were matching the Zoo Phonics letters to the same letter on the carpet.

Painting our "A is for Alligator" letter book pages!

We made germs out of foam dough and other fun materials. 

We counted germs and put them in order from the smallest to the biggest number.

Important Dates/Reminders:

No School 1/21: There is no preschool on Monday 1/21 in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Mid-Winter Break: There will be no preschool on Monday 2/18 and Tuesday 2/19 for a mid-winter break. School will resume on Wednesday 2/20.

Kindergarten Registration: The EGRPS website regarding kindergarten registration information has been updated. Intent to enroll forms will be posted beginning Feb. 1. The link to the page can be found here: http://www.egrps.org/enrollment/kindergarten-program/.

Have a great weekend!

1/11 Classroom Update

Happy new year! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing break with your families. As nice as the R&R time is with family, it is so nice to get back into the swing of things and to see all our preschoolers again! Not only was I very happy to see everyone, but I was also very excited to share our new classroom projector and screen with our preschoolers. This will open the door for lots of fun, new learning experiences!

This week, we learned all about polar animals that live in the Arctic and Antarctic. We located the north and south poles on the earth, and discussed what the climate is like there. We learned about four different types of penguins and also did a fun penguin dance (You can do it at home here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf0uKmKwnKs). We also learned how different animals survive during the winter (hibernation, adaptations, etc.). We conducted an experiment to see how blubber keeps polar bears warm by insulating ice cubes in "blubber" (shortening) and comparing how quickly they melted to plain ice cubes. We also began to work on identifying pairs of opposites! Here are some picture highlights from the week:

We sorted animals based on whether they live in the Arctic or Antarctic.

We played Polar Bear Bingo and practiced looking closely for details that make things the same or different.

We started a very fun and messy polar bear painting. We will be finishing up our paintings next week!

We also learned about opposites and practiced identifying pairs of opposites.

We used the etch-a-sketches to practice writing our letters of the week before working in our HWT books. 

We made rabbits and kangaroos for our letter books!

Important Dates/Reminders:

No School 1/21: There is no preschool on Monday 1/21 in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Mid-Winter Break: There will be no preschool on Monday 2/18 and Tuesday 2/19 for a mid-winter break. School will resume on Wednesday 2/20.

Have a great weekend!