Ocean, Zoo, 100th Day of School, Valentine's Day Restaurant, Show-and-Tell

*Sorry it has been awhile since this has been updated.

We have been learning about different kinds of animals and where they live. We have learned facts about animals and have been comparing non-fiction and fiction books about animals. When we return to school after break we will talk about pets (what animals can be pets, how we take care of pets, who takes care of pets when they are sick, etc.).

We had 2 special days this week- the 100th day of school and Valentines Day. We made a special 100th day snack (10 snacks, the kids had to count out 10 pieces of each), we talked about how100 is a lot and we made a class list of 100 things we would want, and 100 things we would not want. On Valentines Day we talked about how we should treat people nice and show them we care everyday, not just on Valentines Day. We also made valentines for our families and exchanged valentines with our friends. The cafeteria was set up as a restaurant and older students acted as waiters and waitresses. We talked about manners and how to act in a restaurant. The kids really enjoyed pretending to eat in a restaurant at lunch time.

Reminders: NO SCHOOL Monday Feb. 18th- Friday Feb. 22nd.

Ocean

Zoo

100th Day of School

100 day treat bags- 10 snacks, counting out 10 of each

 

Valentine's Day 
writing and eating at the "restaurant" in the cafeteria

Show-and-Tell

Polar Animals

This week we learned about animals that live where it is very cold. We talked about how penguins, polar bears, seals, and walruses stay warm in their cold environments (penguins have feathers, polar bears have fur, seals and walruses have blubber). We learned that penguins are birds but they cannot fly, and they have flippers that help them swim. We did an experiment to see how blubber keeps seals and walruses warm- we put Crisco (fat) in a bag, then put one of our hands in another bag inside the bag with the Crisco (we were trying to avoid having Crisco everywhere). We then held an ice cube in our bare hand then in the "blubber hand" to see which hand stayed warmer. The hand in the bag of Crisco (blubber) stayed warmer.

For letter M this week we made polar bear masks, used modeling clay (which is drying over the weekend), and played with magnets at the science center. We learned that magnets stick to other magnets, and metal.

Next week we will be learning about ocean animals, shadows (for Groundhogs day) and letter O. We will also be having Show-and-Tell on Friday.

Blubber Experiment

Playing with magnets

M is for making models

Have a great weekend!

Hibernation

This week we learned about hibernation. We learned that animals who hibernate will go to sleep at the end of fall, sleep all through the winter, and then wake up in the spring. We talked about how not all animals hibernate; bears, frogs, snakes, woodchucks, lady bugs, turtles, and squirrels hibernate. Cats, dogs, monkeys, whales, and pigs do not hibernate. Today the kids were able to wear pajamas to school for our hibernation celebration. We had cupcakes to celebrate Armani's birthday, then we went into the small gym with Mrs. Madison's class to watch Happy Feet. We rolled out big mats and kept it dark in case anyone wanted to hibernate instead of watching the movie.

Today we also had Show-and-Tell for the first time. We did very well listening to our friends present and speak about their special items. There were some really interesting items for Show-and-Tell. Please encourage your child to bring something each Friday for Show-and-Tell- part of the NY State Standards for Pre-K involves presentation and having the children becoming comfortable with speaking and presenting in front of their peers.

Reminder: No School this coming Monday, January 21st!

Hibernation- Friends in Pajamas

Show-and-Tell

R's toy that when you look through it on one end you see a lot of something, on the other end you see just one.

E's magic wand- the kids had fun thinking of words for magic spells.

Godzilla! He's made of plastic and his head turns all the way around.

  

Star Wars figures and a car- we thought the car was a ship, but K proved us wrong and showed that it had wheels.
C brought a teddy bear from when she was a baby, but everyone thought it was a rabbit because it had a rabbit ears hat.

D's picture of she and her sister.

The Incredible Hulk! He's very tall and big, and could be used as a chair to sit on.

J's dancing Mickey Mouse- the kids loved his crazy moves.

C demonstrated how her cheetah puppet could growl and make noises.

Have a great weekend!