Friday, May 29, 2015

Week of May 25-29, 2015!

Happy Friday! We all love a short week! This week we began to transition from planting into our play practice.  The children began to practice their lines and everyone is so excited! The costumes and scenery will be made over the next few weeks.  We can't wait for you to see the children's hard work! 

To wrap up the planting and seeds unit, the children were reintroduced to plant systems (seeds, roots, plants, etc).  We also observed the seeds that were planted last week.  The outdoor garden is already sprouting thanks to the warm sun.  We will have veggies in no time!  Lastly, the children created their own "Hairy Harry."  Hairy Harry is a cup of dirt with grass seeds.  But, not just any ordinary cup of dirt! When the grass grows, the children can give Hairy Harry a haircut! Once the grass sprouts, these little guys will be send home for a good haircutting!

News and Important Dates:

- Our class picture retake sessions will happen on June 4th and 5th at 9:30am.  An email reminder will be sent as the date approaches.  

- Our end of the year performance will take place on June 25th and 26th at 10am in The Real School of Music.  Invitations have gone home, please return your RSVP slip at your earliest convenience   

- SEE will be closed from June 29th - July 3rd for summer break.  We will be back in action on July 6th.  Outdoor water play will also begin on this date!

Check out some pictures of Hairy Harry:
Filling up the cup!

Giving the seeds some water

A few of the Hairy Harry's ready for hair!

That's all for now! We've saving the details for the day of the play!  Have a great weekend!
Joanna

Friday, May 22, 2015

Week of May 18-22, 2015!

Another fun week has flown by! Here's what we've been up to:

Root week was awesome! The children leaned all about the different types of roots, why roots are important and that root vegetables are, in fact, roots! The children got a hands on experience touching various root vegetables including carrots, radishes, beets and daikon (a large white colored root).  We also used these root veggie to make prints with paint! And our sensory table beans have sprouted and grown so long! The children have been able to see the transformation and see the seed coat opened and "pop" off when the leaves start to sprout.  The children also observed and created sketches of roots including both tap roots and fibrous roots.  Check out the pics below! 

In addition to roots, we began to introduce the book we chose for the children to preform in June, The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister! The children are currently choosing the characters and preparing to design their costumes! Rehearsals will begin next week! The children are so excited!

Lastly, after the playground cleanup day last Saturday, the playground is looking beautiful with the new mulch, larger garden and some new plants! We also used our fundraiser money to purchase a new ramp set for our little engineers! Also, check out the pictures of the magnetic block set we purchased with the left over money! The new blocks are a huge hit!  And a huge thank you to the dads who came to help us with the improvements, your help is very much appreciated!  

What's up next?

We will be wrapping up our planting unit and dissecting some flowers and reintroduce flower parts.  We will also do some planting of seeds and plants and work on our outdoor garden!

Quick Note:
Over the next month, our blog maybe a little shorter.  The children will be focusing on their performance during the month of June! We are excited to give you all a few sneak peeks, but we don't want to spoil the surprise! 

Important Dates to Remember:

- SEE will be closed in Monday, May 25th in observance of Memorial Day.  Bring on the Summer!

- Our Monthly Gathering will take place on Sunday, May 31st at 11:30am at Synergy Dance Studio.  This is a free 30 minute movement/gymnastics class!  Sign up via Evite!

- Our class picture retake sessions will happen on June 4th and 5th at 9:30am.  An email reminder will be sent as the date approaches.  

- Our end of the year performance will take place on June 25th and 26th at 10am in The Real School of Music.  Invitations have gone home, please return your RSVP slip at your earliest convenience   

- SEE will be closed from June 29th - July 3rd for summer break.  We will be back in action on July 6th.  Outdoor water play will also begin on this date!

Check out our pictures:
The sprouts in our sensor table!

Sketching roots 

Our new magnetic wooden blocks!

Our larger vegetable garden ready for seeds! Thank you to the dads who helped us out last weekend!

Mrs. M's hanging root balls! Definitely check these guys out!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! And a very special thank you to all of the men and women who have served our country!

See you all on Tuesday!
Joanna


Friday, May 15, 2015

Week of May 11-15, 2015!

Happy Friday! We are just loving the warm weather! The new grass is growing and our Playground Beautification Day is tomorrow! A HUGE thank you to the parents who are spending a few hours with us to make the playground more beautiful and inspiring for the children! Starbucks is on me!

Here is what we were up to this week:

This week was seed week.  The children we introduced to the different seed parts, the seed coat, seed leaf (cotyledon), the shoot (plumule) and root (radicle).  I bet the children remember at least one of the parts, ask your child! We also sang a fun song about the plant life cycle and the beans in our sensory table sprouted over last weekend! The children arrived on Monday to discover lots of tiny roots in the sensory table, how cool?!  In addition to our group discussions, the children sorted seeds at the science table, made bird feeders with seeds, completed their Van Gogh interpretations and opened up snap peas and graphed the total number of seeds inside! Whew! What a week! Lot's of pictures to check out below!

What's up next:

The children will learn all about the different types root systems (taproots and fibrous) and why roots are so important.  We will also begin to plant vegetable seeds in out outdoor garden! 


Don't forget to check out the home extension activities from last week's post! Continue the learning at home! 


Reminders and Important Dates:

- Tomorrow, Saturday, May 16th is our community Playground Beautification Day! We will begin at 10am and work for about 2 hours.  The tasks include digging out a larger veggie garden, leveling the play houses, adding fresh wood chips to the hill and some planting! Let's all do it for the kids!!! Please sign-up via Evite! We are so excited to have the opportunity to work together with the families of our school to make the playground even more beautiful! 

- SEE will be closed in Monday, May 25th in observance of Memorial Day.  Bring on the Summer!

- Our Monthly Gathering will take place on Sunday, May 31st at 11:30am at Synergy Dance Studio.  This is a free 30 minute movement/gymnastics class!  Sign up via Evite!

- Our class picture retake sessions will happen on June 4th and 5th at 9:30am.  An email reminder will be sent as the date approaches.  

- Our end of the year performance will take place on June 25th and 26th at 10am in The Real School of Music.  Invitations with more information will go home in a few weeks.  Save the date and please email me with any questions!

- SEE will be closed from June 29th - July 3rd for summer break.  We will be back in action on July 6th.  Outdoor water play will also begin on this date!


Lot's of pictures this week, check 'em out!
Sprouting beans in the Sensory Table!

A Van Gogh in progress

Counting snap pea seeds

Making bird feeders with seeds

Sorting Seeds

Some completed Van Gogh interpretations!

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on the playground!
Joanna


Friday, May 8, 2015

Week of May 4-8, 2015!

We are loving the sunshine! The grass and flowers are planted, the canopy is up and the leaves are on the trees! Life is good! Here is what we were up to this week:


This week began our planting and seeds unit.  The children have been introduced to basic plant parts, seed types  (seed and bulb), flower types (simple vs. intricate: think pansy vs. daisy) and the two types of growth systems (root system and shoot system). The root system is what is what happens below the ground and the shoot system is what happens above the ground.  To incorporate the theme into our classroom, the sensory table is filled with dirt, pots, seeds and flowers, flower paintings are being created at the easels and there are many more activities to be introduced soon!


To further explore plant parts, we encourage you to dissect a flower at home.  The words that are familiar to the children are root, seed/bulb, stem, leaves, petals.  We all sang a great song titled, "Planting Seeds," sung to the tune of Farmer in the Dell.  Ask your child to sing it for you! The children were happily singing the song on the playground this week!


Our artist of the month is Vincent Van Gogh.  Van Gogh made a beautiful flower painting titled, "Vase with Twelve Sunflowers." The children were introduced to this painting and a few others.  Look for the finished product on the bulletin board soon! 


Home Extension Activities:
- As the month progresses, we will prepare and plant a vegetable garden in our outdoor classroom.  If you have a sunny spot, the possibilities are endless! Seeds are very inexpensive and easy to care for.  Over the years, we have had lots of success with cucumbers, beans, cantaloupe and corn.  If you have a shady spot, try lettuce! Lettuce loves the shade.  


- Visit farmer's markets again to see all of the different types of flowers, plants and veggies.


- Do a flower dissection in your house.  Pick a flower from your garden or buy a small bouquet from the super market and let your child explore it by pulling the parts off, sorting the parts, labeling the parts or using them to create a picture...maybe turn those petals and leaves into a beautiful peacock!


Lastly, to celebrate our moms, the children were asked, "What does your mom do that makes her special?" And here are some of the very cute responses:

- "She plays piano"
- "She puts me to bed"
- "She cleans"
- "Dances!"
- "Drives the car"
- "She's a nurse"
- "Cooks hot dogs"
- "Makes corn"

What's next:
Next week is seed week! The children will be learning about seeds and bulbs and will investigate various types of seeds.  Our investigations will naturally lead us to sorting, labeling and so much more!



Reminders and Important Dates:

- Saturday, May 16th is our community Playground Beautification Day! We will begin at 10am and work for about 2 hours.  The tasks include digging out a larger veggie garden, leveling the play houses, adding fresh sand to the sand box, planting flowers/bushes and more! Let's all do it for the kids!!! Please sign-up via Evite! We are so excited to have the opportunity to work together with the families of our school to make the playground even more beautiful!

- SEE will be closed in Monday, May 25th in observance of Memorial Day.  Bring on the Summer!

- Our Monthly Gathering will take place on Sunday, May 31st at 11:30am at Synergy Dance Studio.  This is a free 30 minute movement/gymnastics class!  Sign up via Evite!

- Our class picture retake sessions will happen on June 4th and 5th at 9:30am.  An email reminder will be sent as the date approaches.  

- Our end of the year performance will take place on June 25th and 26th at 10am in The Real School of Music.  Invitations with more information will go home in a few weeks.  Save the date and please email me with any questions!

- SEE will be closed from June 29th - July 3rd for summer break.  We will be back in action on July 6th.  Outdoor water play will also begin on this date!

Pictures from our week:

Practicing fine motor skills while cutting flower stems

Practicing drawing skills while creating flowers for the stems!




The new sensory table experience

VanGogh's in process!
The beginning stages of our Van Gogh recreations

Flower Parts Diagram



Happy Mother's Day to all of the extra special moms of our school! We appreciate all you do for us everyday!

Have a restful weekend!
Joanna





Friday, May 1, 2015

Week of April 27-May 1, 2015!

I blinked and this week was over! Welcome back from spring break everyone! We didn't waste a second jumping right back into learning and explorations.  Here's what we were up to this week:

This week was all about clouds! What do they look like? How do they change shape? Why are some clouds high and some clouds are low? Ask the children! They can tell you all about it!  The teachers also got a lesson in cloud formation.  It turns out, the temperature and the weather have a lot to do with the shape, color and height of the clouds in the sky.  The children also learned about the different types of clouds including, Stratus (flat clouds, low in the sky), Cumulus (big fluffy clouds) and Cirrus (thin, curly, wispy clouds).  Each morning, the children looked out the window, determined the type of clouds that are in the sky and graphed it during morning meeting. See the pictures below for the beginning stages of the cloud graph.

During our group discussions, a few of the children made a great observation.  They observed when the clouds cover the sun the temperature is much cooler then when the sun is out and shining. Great observation, little meteorologists!  We also read some great books including, "Weather Clouds," by Ann Herriges, "Cloud Dance," by Thomas Locker, "Little Cloud," by Eric Carle and "Clouds," by Anne Rockwell.  You should also ask your child to sing you the weather songs they learned this week!

And you all know how much I love a good experiment! The children observed and participated in two great experiments this week.  The first is called, "Cloud in a Bottle." The experiment began with a plastic bottle, rubber plug, bike pump, and warm water.  We began by asking the children what they thought would happen.  Some children thought the water would heat up or cool down.  Others thought the bottle would explode! After the hypotheses, Mrs. M began by filling the bottle with a small amount of warm water.  She quickly sealed it up and began to pump air inside.  After just 5 pumps, the plug popped off and out poofed a cloud!  I wish you all could have been here to hear the cheers and excitement from the children!  And they convinced Mrs. M to do it several more times, each time being more and more exciting!

Our second experiment asked the children, "How does a cloud know what it is ready to rain?"  Some of the answers included, "when it's really wet" and "when it gets really dark." The children are on the right track! So we filled a jar with water, used shaving cream to make the cloud and began to drop blue colored water onto the cloud. After probably 100 drops, the "cloud" began to "rain" blue water! So the children learned that clouds can hold a lot of water and they begin to rain when they are too heavy.  

This week also included cloud sketching, creating cloud formations by stretching cotton balls and counting cotton "clouds" using clothespins to also practice fine motor skills.  

Phew, I think that's all! 

Here's what's up next:
May is seed and planting month! The children will explore and learn all about seeds, roots, plant parts and flower parts.  We will also begin to plant in our outdoor vegetable garden and make our outdoor play space more beautiful and inspiring for the children.

Reminders and Important Dates:
- Tuition was due today, May 1, 2015.  Please submit your payment if you haven't already done so.  

- Our Playground Beautification Day is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 16th in the morning.  Look for an Evite in your inbox soon.  We are inviting all parents to help us make the playground even more beautiful for the children.  This includes, extending our garden for more vegetables to grow, adding fresh sand to the sandbox, preparing the ground for grass seed, planting bushes and flowers and leveling the play houses on the hill. Any and all help is very much appreciated!  

- SEE will be closed on Monday, May 25th for Memorial Day.

- Class picture re-take days will happen on June 4th and 5th at 9:30am.  Reminder emails will be send as the date approaches.

- Our end of the year play will take place on Thursday, June 25th and Friday, June 26th at 10am.  Each child will be assigned to a performance date and an important role in the play.  Save the date and stay tuned for more information! A casting party will follow after each performance.

Check out a few of the pictures from this week:

Shaving cream cloud formations

The rain cloud experiment set up

The rain is coming!
The beginning of the cloud graph

Hope you enjoyed the blog!
Have a lovely weekend!
Joanna