Apple Experiment

Today we started our Apple Experiment!

 

By the end of the day we started noticing the apples were changing a little. We can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! 
 
 

Picking Apples

It's fall in our classroom! I have been working with the kids to improve their fine motor skills. Today we picked apples!

We started with really light, easy to pinch apples.

Then we moved on to a little trickier apples.

Finally the picked the really heavy apples!

Increasing the weight of the apples helps to build hand strength which helps improve fine motor skills!

Pet Shop Game

As we wrap up our pet unit, we learned the Pet Shop Game. This game is designed to help us to practice counting on. We practiced starting at 2 instead of one.

We sang:

Down around the corner at the new Pet Store,
A dog had one bone, but he wanted more!

Then we added dog bones until the dog had the number written on his belly.

We used our fine motor skills to connect the bones and our super math skills to count on starting at number two!

Sensory Bottles

WE LOVE SENSORY BOTTLES!

This year we are loving the sensory bottles. These bottles are a great way to start thinking conversation. What things float? What sinks? How do you make it swirl?

They are super easy to make and great activity to peak curiosity :)

Our new tablet!

We used our new tablet for the first time today!

Today we played a game that practice following directions and using our hand-eye coordination. Today we played "Zuzu's Bananas." If you have a tablet at home, you should check it out!

Bird Seed Sensory Bin

Our very first sensory bin this year was filled with bird seed. 

We used funnels and strainers to separate bird seed. :)

Mirror Drawings

Today the kids did some special drawing!

They drew on a mirror with window markers. 😊 The mirror was on a shelf back which helps build their arm strength and fine motor skills! They had a blast! 

Ocean-themed Fine Motor Activity

We used droppers and no-slip bath mats to practice our fine motor skills. The kids didn't want to stop!

Playdough Insects

We made insects using playdough :) 

We know that all insects have 3 body parts, 6 legs and antennas. Some insects have wings too!  

Bug Exploration

We have been learning about bugs this month. We have spent a lot of time learning the difference between bugs - what makes a spider or an insect for example. 

 

We used 3D bug specimens and our microscope to see the different parts of an insect: head, thorax and abdomen or the 8 legs of a spider. The kids loved having the opportunity to see this bugs close up!

 

 

 

Dinosaur Sensory Bin

We had so much fun in our dinosaur sensory bin!

Dinosaur Field Guides

The kids made their own Field Guides to help them remember their favorite dinosaurs. They used dinosaur flash cards to fill out each page. 

Space Sensory Bin

 

Here is one of our sensory bins during our Space Unit!

 

 

I added some glitter to some already awesome space noodles (ordered from Amazon) and some "moon sand" or aquarium sand.

 

The kids used the Squeezy Tweezers to try to pick up the space noodles!



Peeling Stickers

To wrap up our space unit, I gave the kids some star stickers to make a collage. Peeling stickers off of the paper helps to build fine motor skills! 

Painting the Sun

Continuing with our Space theme we painted the Sun! The kids smeared the paint around inside of a closed bag to make orange with the red and yellow paint.

 

 

We have been learning how the sun is actually our closest star. We also learned that the sun isn't actually burning. That it is glowing because it is so hot. (It is a little more complicated than that but that's as deep as we get!) The paint around the edges of the circle represent the glow of the sun.

 



 

Gas Planets

We learned that there are some planets made of rock and some made of gas. To see what a gas planet might look like up close, we added food coloring to milk. Then squirt a little Dawn dish soap and watched the colors swirl around to simulate the gassy planets!

Water Beads Sensory Bin

 

Water beads make such an awesome sensory bin! I put clear water beads and blue marbles in the bin with some water. When there is water in the bin, you can no longer see the clear beads.

 

 

You can't even see them, right?

 

 

The kids used scoopers to try to get out the marbles without scooping out any water beads. It was pretty tricky!

 

 

They had a blast trying to retrieve the marbles. Simple and fun!

 

 



Ten Frames

We are learning the basics about ten frames. Today we used magnetic ten frames to create matching frames. The kids picked a ten frame card and then created their own frames!

 



All You Need for a Snowman

As a class we read the book All You Need for a Snowman by Barbara LaVallee.

 

We labeled the parts of a snowman as a large group.

 

 

 

The kids made their own perfect snowman and then labeled all the parts. Some kids were able to label the parts independently and others needed a little help!