Christmas Light Patterns

 

We used Do-A-Dots to make Christmas Light Patterns!

Who Stole the Reindeer?

This week we have been playing "Who Stole the Reindeer from Santa's Sleigh?" We sing it using the same rhythm and idea has "Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?"

One student goes out into the hallway while I hide the reindeer in another student's lap. Once we call the student back into the room, we all keep the beat on our knees while singing the song. The student from the hallway tells us who to sing about until they find the hiding reindeer!

The kids love it :)

(the reindeer clipart is from www.childcareland.com)

Paw Print Hop

I missed a fun activity from Pet Week that I wanted to share!

 

The kids rolled the dice and hopped on the paw prints -

it was great from large motor control AND counting!

Dog Bone Patterns

It's Pet Week! We have been doing lots of fun activities incorporating our theme
but today we practiced patterning using colored dog bones.

 

The kids used the dog bones to make a pattern and then
colored dog bones to match their pattern!

Cobweb Walk

Today the kids practiced their balance by walking on a tape cobweb. I put plastic spiders all over the web. They had to try to not step on the spiders!

 

 

Pumpkin Non-Standard Unit Measuring

We used Unifix Cubes to measure different size pumpkins.
 

 

Then we found objects in the room that were the same size as the pumpkin.

Yarn Spider Webs

This week I put out different length pieces of white yarn and some plastic spiders. The kids are using the lengths of yarn to make their own spider webs.

 

Pumpkin Pounding ... again!

This is one of my favorite activities so I am posting it again this year! I just love watching the kids try to figure out how to get that stubborn golf tee all the way in the pumpkin. It is fine motor skills AND problem solving!

Jack-o'-Lantern Emotions

At this age, emotions are so hard for children to interpret and respond appropriately. What better way to practice identifying emotions than with Jack-o'-Lanterns!

 

Halloween Sensory Hands

Our newest addition to the science shelf ... Halloween Sensory Hands! We filled rubber gloves with flour, hair gel, sand, shaving cream and cotton balls. Spooky!

 

 

Pumpkin Dough Decorating

We made pumpkin dough! We added candy corn for a little decoration.

Pumpkin Dough

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

1 T. warm water

1/2 c. warm canned pumpkin

1/4 c. oil

Cinnamon and/or nutmeg

Fall Sink or Float

Today we made predictions to see if fall items would sink or float. We tried candy corn, candy pumpkins, apple, pumpkin, gourd, pie tin, pinecone, pumpkin pie filling and leaves. Then we made a chart to see how many items of each.

Fall Lacing Cards

I just made some new lacing cards for our classroom. They were super easy to make and such a nice activity to have out on the shelf for the kids to use.

I punched holes in foam fall cut-outs.

Little Miss Muffet

I am finally getting a chance to post some of the fun things we have been doing in our room! It has been a crazy couple weeks :)

Today we are working on matching pictures with their beginning letter. We are using the Little Miss Muffet theme to practice!

We also made a SUPER CUTE class book based on Little Miss Muffet! Here is one of the pages :)

Apple Tree Painting with Loofas

The Dollar Tree sells these tiny loofas that are PERFECT for stamping.

This time, we used the loofas to make Apple Trees!

 

Apple Eraser Stacking

Today we used easy-grip tongs to stack apple-shaped erasers. The kids had to make towers with different number of apples, different color patterns and specific color groups.

This was a great way to practice hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and patterning!

Apple Sauce Playdough

Today we made Apple Sauce Playdough. I got the recipe from www.littlebinsforlittlehands.com .

I tweeked the recipe just a little bit by using all-purpose flour. I also put in more flour and less water. It turned out awesome! The kids had a blast :)

Under the Apple Tree

To start our Apple Unit, we read Under the Apple Tree by Steve Metzger.

 

Then we made our own class book!

It's a Room Re-Do!

I am so proud of the changes that I made to my classroom this summer! I was fortunate enough to be given money for some new furniture. That really helped bring everything together.

First the befores ... Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures before I started the re-do, so the pictures I took before last school year will have to do!

This is the room from the doorway toward the back of the room.

Notice the grey wall in the back and the white walls everywhere else.

There were tons of really tall and deep shelves.

These closet doors were really hard for the kids to work with. They weighed more then the kids do! 

This was my calendar wall. The tape never stayed up on those chalkboards ... it was such a pain!

There was no such thing as 4K when this school was built! So the shelves were at an awkward level for the kids.

And the afters ...

Now, notice the bright colors on the wall :)

The chalkboards are gone and corkboard is up!

My big desk is gone (that I never used) and I replaced it with a small table in the corner.

The bulky doors and dangerous hooks are gone! The kids can just walk up and hang their things without struggling to open the door!

 

There are a few things missing. A few labels not up yet. My birthday chart which will go above the closet hooks after I take the kids' pictures on the first day. My job chart isn't up yet and the Star of the Week section isn't up on the bulletin board. But I just was so excited I needed to post pictures. I'll post those pictures when they are done!

 

 

I am so excited to start this new school year. The furniture is more appropriate for 4K. The colors are bright and exciting. And most importantly, with the new shelves, I am able to display their things in a way that is easy for them to access.

This is going to be a great year! 

Painting with Tape

First, we used ripped tape to make our design.

Then, we used a paint roller to cover the paper with paint.

Last, we peeled off the tape to reveal our pictures!

Such a great way for the kids to use their fine motor skills without even knowing it! 

Alphabet Links

We matched upper and lowercase letters using paper chain links. 

The links are laminated paper strips with Velcro. :) 

Egg Flip

The kids were asked to find different numbers or colors on sunny-side up eggs!
Then they used a hamburger flipper to turn it over.

Painting with Cars!

Today we talked about Transportation. Then we painted with cars! :)

Our Math Garden

The kids are practicing "+1" facts this week. They read the math fact and then picked the flower to see if they were right!

Different Font Letter Hunt

We all know that letters do not appear in the "real world" with perfect lines and circles. So, the kids searched the room looking for different letters that were typed in different fonts. For instance, I hid Qs, Gs, Cs, and Os. I told them which letters to look for first, leaving behind the incorrect letters. It is trickier than you think - but it really helps the kids become more confident readers! 

Umbrella Number Matching

The kids matched number words, dice, numerals and Spanish word rain drops to their matching umbrella! They attached them using links. 

Easter Egg Match

Today the kids played a memory game using Easter egg cutouts. 

The eggs were covered and when they found a match they could leave the egg open. 

Animal Handprints

Check out our Animal Handprints! I couldn't decide on just one animal - so we made many!

 

Dinosaur Puzzles

I made the kids dinosaur puzzles using dinosaur patterns. I mixed them up and had them put together the pieces without a pattern. Tricky, right? Of course they were great at it! This is a SUPER easy way to make tons of different inexpensive puzzles in tons of different themes.

I know this one is sideways ... it just keeps turning around! :( Sorry!