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CLASSROOMS - Preschool Kindergarten 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Computer Art Choir / Band / Music P.E.
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3 Year Old Class
This week our focus question was, "Who uses balls?" First, we looked at a variety of uses for balls. I demonstrated how balls can be used for exercise with a large yoga ball and a small medicine ball. We also discussed how animals use balls to play and get exercise. For one final example of how balls are used we watched a youtube clip of a wrecking ball used to demolish a building.
We started working on some prewriting skills to help us get ready to write our names. We reviewed the difference between straight and curved lines. The children used squishy bags (sandwich bags with hair gel) to practice writing straight lines that start at the top and go straight down. After experimenting with that, they then used small broken crayon pieces to write straight lines. The broken crayon pieces encourage the children to use a 3 finger grip to hold the writing utensil. The children also did some work with stringing beads. Building fine motor muscles in the hands is a huge part of prewriting skills. Be sure to provide opportunities to use writing utensils, scissors, and play dough at home.
Next week, we will have a short week with only 1 class meeting. We will do some Thanksgiving activities and stories on Tuesday. The following week will be our last week of the ball study. Our last focus question will be, "What are balls made of?" We will explore the concept of hollow and solid and compare balls that are hollow and solid. We will also create our own paper mâché balls.
Highlights for the weeks of 11/20/2018 and 11/26/2018
We started working on some prewriting skills to help us get ready to write our names. We reviewed the difference between straight and curved lines. The children used squishy bags (sandwich bags with hair gel) to practice writing straight lines that start at the top and go straight down. After experimenting with that, they then used small broken crayon pieces to write straight lines. The broken crayon pieces encourage the children to use a 3 finger grip to hold the writing utensil. The children also did some work with stringing beads. Building fine motor muscles in the hands is a huge part of prewriting skills. Be sure to provide opportunities to use writing utensils, scissors, and play dough at home.
Next week, we will have a short week with only 1 class meeting. We will do some Thanksgiving activities and stories on Tuesday. The following week will be our last week of the ball study. Our last focus question will be, "What are balls made of?" We will explore the concept of hollow and solid and compare balls that are hollow and solid. We will also create our own paper mâché balls.
Highlights for the weeks of 11/20/2018 and 11/26/2018
- Virtue Focus: Gratitude and Docility
- Books: The Night Before Thanksgiving
- Song: I'm a Little Turkey
- Where is the Turkey?: Number Identification Game
- Easel Painting
- Turkey Tom Letter Baking: Children will add letters to Turkey Tom's Pie
- I am thankful for...: Children will draw pictures of something that they are thankful for.
- Jumping Beans: Letter Identification Game
- Paper Mâché Balls: Children will create their own paper mâché ball.
- Milk and Cookie Number Match: Children will match a cookie quantity to the correct corresponding milk number.
- Use Your Senses: Children will use their sense of touch to feel and describe different balls.
- Hollow Balls Vs. Solid Balls: Children will compare hollow balls with solid ball.
- Number Cruncher: Children will feed the number cruncher the correct number.
- Play Dough Letter Stamping: Children will use letter stamps to stamp letters in play dough.
- Spin and Build: Children will spin a number spinner, and build a small tower that number of blocks tall.
4 Year Old Am
This past week we focused on "What foods come from trees." We will be made some beautiful rolled marble paintings over fall leaves and fall wreaths as well. We will be worked on assessments for the progress reports that will be coming home in backpacks this Friday. Games and small group this week focused on identifying basic shapes and on patterning.
This week we will be looking at: Who takes care of trees?, How do trees change? and What can be made from trees? We will be comparing our estimated birth height with our height today. We will be discussing that one of the many changes trees make is growing taller and larger, just like us. Our discussion will also include living vs. non-living and what living things require to live. Finally on Monday of next week, we will have a visit from Mr. Earl. He is planning to show and demonstrate some wood working tools for the students.
In small group we will be working in our journals doing some "guided drawing" to help the preschoolers gain skill and confidence when making entries in their journals. On Wednesday, we will be making an elastic band into some of the basic shapes we have learned.
Monday, November 19th is our last day of school prior to Thanksgiving break and will be the close of our tree investigation. The students will be making Thanksgiving Necklaces to teach them the events of the first Thanksgiving. Wishing all of you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
Reminders:
Books: Tap the Magic Tree, Growing Trees, Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?, When the Monkey's Returned, A Grand Old Tree, A Tree is For and Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving
Songs: Way Up High in the Apple Tree, Write and Chant the Numbers, Acting Out the Alphabet, I'm A Mighty Oak Tree, Workout to the Letter Sounds and Crossing the Midline
Focus Question: Who takes care of trees? How do trees change? What can be made from a tree?
Virtue: Gratitude
Games: Rhyming with Dust Bunnies, Don't Feed the Monster, Monster Eyes, Tree Roll, Count and Cover, Shape Monster, Rhyming with Mickey
Journal Response: Guided Drawing of Lady Bug
Art: Painting Tree Cookie Refrigerator Magnet, Painting of Tree Branch, Thanksigivng Necklace
Vocabulary: absorbs, mulch, burlap, fertilizer, ox road, hobbled, steep, sap, backwaters, stilts and frame (words taken from our reading)
This week we will be looking at: Who takes care of trees?, How do trees change? and What can be made from trees? We will be comparing our estimated birth height with our height today. We will be discussing that one of the many changes trees make is growing taller and larger, just like us. Our discussion will also include living vs. non-living and what living things require to live. Finally on Monday of next week, we will have a visit from Mr. Earl. He is planning to show and demonstrate some wood working tools for the students.
In small group we will be working in our journals doing some "guided drawing" to help the preschoolers gain skill and confidence when making entries in their journals. On Wednesday, we will be making an elastic band into some of the basic shapes we have learned.
Monday, November 19th is our last day of school prior to Thanksgiving break and will be the close of our tree investigation. The students will be making Thanksgiving Necklaces to teach them the events of the first Thanksgiving. Wishing all of you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
Reminders:
- Please send a bottle of water and "nut free" snack with your child daily.
- Please send weather appropriate clothing for your child to play outside daily.
- Progress Reports will go home on Friday. Please remember to check backpacks.
Books: Tap the Magic Tree, Growing Trees, Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?, When the Monkey's Returned, A Grand Old Tree, A Tree is For and Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving
Songs: Way Up High in the Apple Tree, Write and Chant the Numbers, Acting Out the Alphabet, I'm A Mighty Oak Tree, Workout to the Letter Sounds and Crossing the Midline
Focus Question: Who takes care of trees? How do trees change? What can be made from a tree?
Virtue: Gratitude
Games: Rhyming with Dust Bunnies, Don't Feed the Monster, Monster Eyes, Tree Roll, Count and Cover, Shape Monster, Rhyming with Mickey
Journal Response: Guided Drawing of Lady Bug
Art: Painting Tree Cookie Refrigerator Magnet, Painting of Tree Branch, Thanksigivng Necklace
Vocabulary: absorbs, mulch, burlap, fertilizer, ox road, hobbled, steep, sap, backwaters, stilts and frame (words taken from our reading)
Kindergarten Prep PM class
We had 2 focus questions this week. Our first focus question was, "How is cloth made?" We began this exploration with a simple obstacle course where the children moved their bodies over and under. The children then practiced this weaving technique with paper strips and play dough. Finally, we watched a video demonstration of how wool goes from the sheep to yarn.
Our second focus question was, "Where do we get our clothes?" We talked about buying clothes, making clothes, and getting clothes passed down to us from older siblings, cousins or friends. The children talked about getting special clothes that were made from grandparents. When discussing where we buy clothes, the children talked about stores and websites including Amazon.
This week, we have also started applying letter and letter sound knowledge to blending words. We have started working with word families by starting the -at word family. We practiced listening to different beginning sounds added to the -at word ending and identifying the word. We will continue to practice this blending of sounds with different word families. During our Daily News, we have also started working with sight words. These are high frequency words that are not typically sounded out: the, said, like etc. We will also continue to review letters and letter sounds to help us prepare for reading.
Next week our focus question is, "What special clothes do people wear for work?" We will discuss how special clothes may need to be worn for particular jobs. The clothes may serve a special purpose for their job. Fr. Dave will come for his monthly visit and talk about the clothes we wears for his job as a priest.
Highlights for the week of 11/12/2018
Our second focus question was, "Where do we get our clothes?" We talked about buying clothes, making clothes, and getting clothes passed down to us from older siblings, cousins or friends. The children talked about getting special clothes that were made from grandparents. When discussing where we buy clothes, the children talked about stores and websites including Amazon.
This week, we have also started applying letter and letter sound knowledge to blending words. We have started working with word families by starting the -at word family. We practiced listening to different beginning sounds added to the -at word ending and identifying the word. We will continue to practice this blending of sounds with different word families. During our Daily News, we have also started working with sight words. These are high frequency words that are not typically sounded out: the, said, like etc. We will also continue to review letters and letter sounds to help us prepare for reading.
Next week our focus question is, "What special clothes do people wear for work?" We will discuss how special clothes may need to be worn for particular jobs. The clothes may serve a special purpose for their job. Fr. Dave will come for his monthly visit and talk about the clothes we wears for his job as a priest.
Highlights for the week of 11/12/2018
- Virtue - Gratitude
- Books - Who Wears What?; Little Red Riding Hood; How to Dress a Dragon; Clothesline Clue
- Nursery Rhyme - I'm A Little Turkey
- Journal Writing - Topic 1 - Free Choice Topic 2 - What would your super power be?
- Whose job is it?: Children will identify the job a person does by the clothing.
- Jumping Beans: Children will pull out a letter bean and identify the letter and sound. Children will blend a letter to the word family -an.
- When I go to work...- Children will write about a job they would like to do and what they will wear for that job.
- Letter Formation - Children will learn how to write U, V, and W
- Fork Turkey Painting - Children will paint turkey feathers onto a turkey using a fork.
- Monthly Religious Ed Visit with Mrs. Pearce
- Secret Agent ID - Children will create their own Secret Agent ID card.
- Where is Pumpkin? - Children will identify numbers to find where the pumpkin is hidden.
- Independent Letter Formation Practice - Children will practice writing letters U, V, and W with small broken crayon pieces.
- More or Fewer Towers - Children will use a spinner to determine if they build a tower that has more or fewer blocks than a given number.
- Color Word Reading - Children will flip over cards with color words on them. Children will find the matching color word on the paper and color in that turkey.
- Fr. Dave's Visit
- Card Game War - Children use cards to play War. They will determine which number is bigger to win the hand. Face cards will be given a value in the teens.
- Paper Plate Sponge Painting Turkey - Children will sponge paint on a plate to make a turkey.
Science Club
Science Club is an optional activity for students who are enrolled in either the AM-4 or Kindergarten Prep classes. The club meets on the second Thursday of the month from 9:30-11 am at Hemlock Crossing, September through May. Meetings are lead by Hemlock Crossing naturalists and the membership cost is $7.00 per meeting.
Parents are an important part of the program--you will be actively involved in exploring the topic of the month with your child as well as providing transportation to and from the meetings. Some exceptions can be made for working parents, provided you are able to find a member parent who is willing to transport your child and fill in as your designated adult explorer. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Mrs. Carey at ccarey@stmarysl.org
Snow days: if St. Mary's does not have school on a meeting date, the meeting for that day will be canceled. We will not try to reschedule--just too many schedules to try to accomodate. You will not be billed for that month's meeting.
2018-2019 Meeting Topics
November 8th--Nature’s Engineers—Animal Homes
December 13th--Winter Adaptations
January 10th --Snow Fun/ Snowshoeing
(This meeting to be held at Pigeon Creek Park)
February 14th--Marvelous Mammals—Fur and Tracks
March 14th--Wiggly Worms
April 11th--Wonderful Wetlands
May 9th--V.I.P.’s—Very Important Pollinators—Bees, Butterflies
(Picnic Lunch to Follow)
*All meetings (except January Meeting) are held at the Education Center at Hemlock Crossing Park. Meetings start promptly at 9:30 and end at 11 am.
Parents are an important part of the program--you will be actively involved in exploring the topic of the month with your child as well as providing transportation to and from the meetings. Some exceptions can be made for working parents, provided you are able to find a member parent who is willing to transport your child and fill in as your designated adult explorer. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Mrs. Carey at ccarey@stmarysl.org
Snow days: if St. Mary's does not have school on a meeting date, the meeting for that day will be canceled. We will not try to reschedule--just too many schedules to try to accomodate. You will not be billed for that month's meeting.
2018-2019 Meeting Topics
November 8th--Nature’s Engineers—Animal Homes
December 13th--Winter Adaptations
January 10th --Snow Fun/ Snowshoeing
(This meeting to be held at Pigeon Creek Park)
February 14th--Marvelous Mammals—Fur and Tracks
March 14th--Wiggly Worms
April 11th--Wonderful Wetlands
May 9th--V.I.P.’s—Very Important Pollinators—Bees, Butterflies
(Picnic Lunch to Follow)
*All meetings (except January Meeting) are held at the Education Center at Hemlock Crossing Park. Meetings start promptly at 9:30 and end at 11 am.
Inspired by Saint Mary and rooted in our Catholic faith, St. Mary's School fosters spiritual development, academic excellence,
responsibility to self, and service to others in order that the Gospel of Christ may be known in the world.
responsibility to self, and service to others in order that the Gospel of Christ may be known in the world.
