Letter Ss....summer...shaved ice...FUN!

Shaved ice is like snow in summer!  This week our  pre k students  were experiencing the sound of Ss as well as the blend sh.

SCIENCE
E.2.A.2 Students know water on Earth can be a liquid (rain) or a solid (snow and ice) and can go back and forth from one form to the other.
P.PK.5 Identify hot and cold
LANGUAGE
1.K.3  Recognize and name upper and lower case letters of the alphabet.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SOCIAL EMOTIONAL
G8.PK.1 Identify weather conditions (rain, sunshine, snow, fog).
4.PK.1b Express common courtesy to others (saying "thank you", "please", and "excuse me").

Nothing better on a HOT day!

Cooking in the Sun

Cooking class was outside this day. Circles we can eat!   

Students identified small medium and large circles, then drew their own interpretation of the activity.

Zucchini, summer squash, onions and garlic with a few other spices.  YUM!

First the students sprinkled spices on the circles; second, stirred in the garlic and olive oil; third, baked in the sun oven at 350 degrees for 30 min; and last, melted mozzarella cheese on top. Mmmmmmm!

With our cooking classes and our solar oven we have baked things from corn bread, muffins, and beans, to Mr. Logan's birthday cake. It is very safe as the outside gets no hotter than the Children's toys. The inside is not accesible to the children and has a thermometer to make sure foods bake at the correct temperature. We can put it behind the chain link fenced area when the children are on the patio.
The children are learning to save energy as well as the effects of solar power.

SCIENCE

P.PK.5 Identify hot and cold.

KP.2.C.2 Students know that objects can be described as hot or cold relative to another object.

KE.PK.3 Students understand that the sun, moon, and stars can be seen in the sky.

KE.2.A.3 Students know weather changes from day to day and seasonally.

KN.2.A Students understand that science is an active process of systematically examining the natural world.

MATHEMATICS

4.PK.1a Identify 2-D shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles, and squares) regardless of orientation.

K2.K.9 Sort and classify objects by color and shape..

 

Bubble Bubble Bubble POP!

Children love bubbles!  They do!!  We discovered bubbles from store bought solution in a bottle and the children had fun blowing their own bubbles. 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

6.PK.2 Demonstrate the muscle strength, dexterity, and control needed to manipulate items (scissors, writing utensil, paint brushes, play dough, buttons/snaps, etc.)

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL

5.PK.1a Play independently.

5.PK.1b Play in pairs and small groups.

1.PK.2b Acknowledge actions and accomplishments verbally and nonverbally.

Some students experimented with shaking soap in a container, squeezing sponges, water falling into buckets, and water falling into puddles in the sand.

One student demonstrates for her new friends how to blow bubbles. Welcome!

Be sure to ask your child about a bubble POP! greeting, bubble songs we sang, and bubble stories we read!

It's Just Dirt...

Have you heard your children talking about recycling, our composter, or lizards?  These are things we talk about and observe pretty much on a daily basis at HO4K.  Lately we've been learning about the science of plant life and the need for water, soil, sun, and air. We've been sorting different types of soil.

SCIENCE
N.PK.3 Use tools safely to observe and explore different objects/environments.
E.PK.4 Identify and sort different natural objects (rocks, soils, etc.)
L.PK.5 Identify the basic need for air, water, and food.
L.PK.4 Use the five senses to explore and investigate the natural world.
L.2.C.1 Students know plants and animals need certain resources for energy and growth.
L.2.D.1 Students know plants and animals can be sorted by observable characteristics and behaviors.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

6.PK.2 Demonstrate the muscle strength, dexterity, and control needed to manipulate items (scissors, writing utensil, paint brushes, play dough, buttons/snaps, etc.)

6.PK.3 Use fingered or tripod grasp with drawing, paint or writing instruments.

At this point the compost is in the "baking" process. This student is observing a shovel full that was dumped under the composter. We have learned:
1- plastic spoons and craft sticks have not changed or decomposed
2- food does; some slower than others
3- paper does; slower than some food
4- there are worms in it that help the process
5- lizards and birds like the worms
6- we like watching the lizards and birds
7- 4 lizards have set up their habitat under the composter and are getting very brave near us when we observe them calm and quiet

The students have loved watching the lizards in their habitats!
SCIENCE
L.PK.2 Explore and identify a variety of animals and plants.
L.PK.6 Identify animals and their homes.
L.2.C.2 Students know a habitat includes food, water, shelter, and space.
L.PK.8 Observe living and non-living things on Earth.

Taking Fun out of Learning

Joy Out of Learning
April 26, 2013

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
-Dalai Lama

In her TedTalk, "When Education Goes Wrong: Taking the Creativity and Play out of Learning", Nancy Carlsson-Paige from Lesley University shares this message:

"When we watch children play, we understand how central play is to healthy development — to children’s emotional, social, and cognitive health and learning. Through play and hands-on activity, children build ideas and relationships that become the foundation for success in school and life. Today’s overemphasis in schools across the country on standards and testing is pushing down to younger children and resulting in more and more direct instruction at the expense of play and active learning.

"When we drill and grill children, we cut out the powerful natural capacities they bring to the learning experience — their creativity, original thinking, capacity to problem solve and invent new ideas, their natural ability to cooperate, initiate, and persevere. When we take these amazing capabilities children have out of the education experience, we take the love out of learning. We take the joy out of learning. What we have to do is figure out: How do we create an education system in this country that nurtures and develops and builds onto the magnificent capacities children bring with them when they come to school?"

Letter Puzzle

How fun to do puzzles outside enoying the beautiful weather!!  Look at the students matching the tops and bottoms of animals, learning alphabet letter names and sounds including phonetic sounds, and using eye-hand coordination to complete each puzzle!
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
6.PK.1 Demonstrate skills in eye-hand coordination (stacking, sorting, complete six-piece puzzle, etc).
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL
5.PK.1b Play in pairs and small groups.
5.PK.2a Participate in cooperative groups to complete a task.
LANGUAGE
1.K.2 Demonstrate phonemic awareness of spoken words through matching, isolating, blending, segmenting, deleting, and substituting.
1.K.3 Recognize and name upper and lower case letters of alphabet.
1.K.4 Comprehend vocabulary using pictures, sumbols, environmental print.
2.PK.3 Identify pictures to aid in comprehension.
SCIENCE
L.PK.3 Identify humans, animals, and plants.

Slack Line

Check out our new outdoor attraction.  We call it a Slack Line.  It's like a mini tight rope.  

It's great for building large motor skills, teaching balance, spatial awareness, and self-confidence and cooperation taking turns.

The students are learning so many things and meeting so many pre-k standards:
MATHEMATICS
4.PK.2 Identify positions (in front, behind, next to, up, down, etc).
SOCIAL/EMOTION
H1.Pk.1 Children begin to complete simple tasks together.
H2.PK.1 Begin to recognize that problems can occur in groups.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
1.PK.1 Identify the basic vocabulary of simple movement patterns(walk, run, jump, hop, coimb, etc.)
2.PK.1 Demonstrate a basic form in walking, running, climbing, jumping, hopping, etc.
2.PK.2 Perform a variety of large motor skills.
5.PK.2 Demonstrate turn taking and cooperation during physical activities.
5.PK.3 Interact positively with others regardless of personal differences.
3.PK.1 Demonstrate locomotor movements such as up, down, forward, and backward.

Look even our little toddler students can join in the fun!

 Doing this as a group makes the students have to work even harder as the need for group problem solving and coordination occurs.

SOCIAL/EMOTION
G5.PK.1 Identify direction and location (up/down and above/below).
C13.PK.2 Participate in group decision making.
5.PK.2a Participate in cooperative groups to complete a task.

Pushing to Peddling

 One of our cute students has been transitioning from pushing the trike to figuring out how to peddle with her feet.  Looks like she's got it!!  Great job!!

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

4.PK.1  Engage in daily moderate to vigorous physical activity.

2.PK.2  Perform a variety of large motor skills.

Climbing in the Sandbox

The students had lots of fun climbing in Ms. JoAnn's giant sandbox. 
"Beginning with the freedom to walk, run, jump, climb, hop and do other physical activities in and out of doors, children are introduced to exploring different ways they can move.  Throughout the preschool years, children are focusing on large muscle development that includes:  Strengthening of muscles, balance, coordination, and muscle control." 

The students love exploring in the sandbox and coming up with their own adventures. While climbing can sometimes be dangerous and makes teachers and parents nervous, it is important to let kids take reasonable risks. The activities the students were inventing while playing were quite daring for some of the more timid. Therefore Ms. JoAnn encouraged them to continue...always asking them how they felt and if they felt safe.

The look on their faces shows pride and a greater sense of self confidence, which really escalated when Ms. JoAnn asked them to demonstrate it or teach a friend how to do it.

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

2.PK.1  Demonstrate a basic form in walking, running, climbing, jumping, hopping, and walking up and down stairs.

3.PK.2  Demonstrate the ability to follow basic movements (e.g., over, under, in, out, and in between).

4.PK.1  Engage in daily moderate to vigorous physical activity.

5.PK.3  Interact positvely with others regardless of personal differences (e.g., skill level, gender, race, and disability).

 

HEALTH

3.PK.1  Identify and express basic feelings (e.g., happy, sad, angry, frightened, etc.).

3.PK.3  Identifty potential hazards at home, school, and community, etc.).

 



Tool Bench

 Dramatic play is always a learning experience. Pretending to fix things and be a helper is a great way to encourage students to participate more at home! We love our new tool bench and easel, both donated from a past student. Thank you so much!

The tool bench is an incredibly fun way to practice fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Students love to  twist, hammer, and 

screw the different nuts and bolts. When we get home, put us to work!

Learning in Many Different Ways

When painting children learn fine motor skills as well as the step by step application process. For example, the little one above is just learning that the paint goes on the paper and not in your mouth! Look how creative she is! The little ones below follow the 3 step process to painting pumpkins. First they paint the pumpkin orange, next they glue 3 triangles on for the nose and mouth. Finally, the students choose the expression for the mouth. Painting is lots of fun and is a great tool to enhance fine motor skills that eventually help with writing skills. 

Standards addressed with painting activities:

6.PK.1 Demonstrate skills in eye-hand coordination (e.g., stacking, sorting, lacing toys, stringing beads,

reproducing basic patterns, complete six-piece puzzle, Legos and peg-boards).

6.PK.2 Demonstrate the muscle strength, dexterity, and control needed to manipulate items (e.g., scissors, writing utensil, paint brushes, play dough, buttons/snaps, etc.).

6.PK.3 Use fingered or tripod grasp with drawing, painting or writing instruments.

Although she doesn't know her letters yet, the more exposure the better! Above she is putting letters on and off the flannel board. Playing with letters is important because she becomes familiar with how the letters look. When she is ready she will be able to more easily identify the letters and eventually the sounds! Anytime a child plays with manipulatives it is active learning. 

Nothing is more exciting than when little ones start to initiate their own learning! Even though he is just 11 months old, he picked up the book and started to "read" it all by himself! He knows how to flip through the pages. This is the beginning of understanding the concepts of print! 

London Bridges Falling Down

Our little ones learn best by watching others around them. Several weeks ago the older children played movement games like London Bridges Falling Down and Ring Around the Roses. We helped each other learn how to sing and play. How adorable that we captured on film the little ones initiating and playing on their own. Holding hands, they played together nicely, trying to recite the words and sing along! We have the cutest kiddos!