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:
Pictures from our week:
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| Practicing fine motor skills while cutting flower stems |
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| Practicing drawing skills while creating flowers for the stems! |
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| The new sensory table experience |
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| VanGogh's in process! |
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| The beginning stages of our Van Gogh recreations |
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| 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 |
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