This week was all about incorporating the holiday spirit into our classroom! The dreidels we spinning and the menorah was "lit" each day. We also wrapped up our vanGogh unit and introduced our animal of the month, the reindeer! Take a look at the fun activities:
The children learned that another name for a reindeer is caribou! Who knew! The reindeer can migrate, (as the children call it, "move from place to place") up to 3,000 miles each year. Reindeer primarily live in Canada and the northern most areas of Europe, Asia and Greenland. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers which they lose in the spring just like a tooth. Reindeer's favorite food is apples. In the winter, when food is hard to find, reindeer search for moss and lichen (a type of moss) that we found in our very own playground! Baby reindeer are called calves. Reindeer are great runners and swimmers and the children added that some even fly!
For this week's class project, the children whipped up a batch of reindeer food. The reindeer food can be spread out on the front lawn as a snack for Santa's reindeer. It is also a yummy snack for our neighborhood deer too!
Mary Beth's Music and Movement class incorporated the reindeer activities. The children learned to prance and practiced their prancing skills to the song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by the original musician Gene Autry. The children then tested their reindeer skills by participating in the annual Reindeer Games! The children took turns leaping over rooftops, tossing wreaths on reindeer antlers and pinning the red nose on Rudolph. The kiddos has tons of fun!
A note from Ms. Heather's Pre-K class:
"On Monday and Tuesday, the children played Hanukkah games. We started off with a game of Hanukkah Bingo and learned lots of Hanukkah vocabulary. Now we all know that the helper candle on the menorah is called the Shammash. In addition to all of the holiday fun, we also introduced the children to two more upcoming holidays, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Today, the children created a holiday tree while practicing their cutting skills and name writing skills. The direction was to design and cut out enough tree decorations for each letter of the child's name. Once complete, each tree had lots of beautiful decorations! They are being displayed on the office windows."
Next week the children will be making a very special holiday surprise for their family. I can't tell you much, I don't want to ruin the surprise! And don't forget about pajama days on Thursday, December 17th and Friday, December 18th. Wear your favorite pajamas to school and enjoy an allergy friendly pancake snack!
Important Dates and Reminders:
December 12: December Gathering at Panera Bread in Burlington
December 17 & 18: Pajama day and pancake snack
December 17 & 18: Pajama day and pancake snack
December 24 - January 3: SEE closed for winter break
January 4: SEE back in session and tuition is due
Pictures from this week:
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| A vanGogh Masterpiece! Come take a peek at the classroom bulletin board! |
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| The making of reindeer food Shutterfly has finally been updated! Lots of pictures were added from November and the first two weeks of December! Don't forget to check it out! Have a great weekend! Joanna |
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