Week in Review: October 17th- 21st

Choo Choo!!! How do trains communicate with one another?

We have been exploring trains with Ms. Farhat, and ramps & pathways with Mrs. Lovejoy. The children are interested in many different aspects such as train movement on tracks, different types of trains, and train sounds. We have worked on building a completed track together as a group. The children were able to work cooperatively and problem solve which track pieces work together to build a complete track. Children have also shown an interest in train sounds and how they communicate with each other and people in their surroundings. We will focusing on the different types of train sounds and what they mean by listening to videos and recognizing what each sound means.

TS Gold Objectives Met: 

3. Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations a. Balances needs and rights of self and others B. Solves social problems 7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination a. Uses fingers and hands 11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning a. Attends and engages b. Persists c. Solves problems d. Shows curiosity and motivation . e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking

Exploring Ramps and Pathways 

The children  have enjoyed driving cars around a track and rolling balls down a ramp with Mrs. Lovejoy. They have explored balls, cubes, triangles, seashells and pens going down a ramp and how the height of the ramp changed the speed. We also noticed that some objects rolled while others slid down the ramp. To continue, we plan to place objects in the way to slow down the speed of the objects with different materials. The children are using scientific inquiry skills by making predictions and testing their ideas. They are recognizing and making real life connections to what they know and see about trains, ramps and pathways. Parents can participate by finding trains, ramps, and pathways and sharing their findings with the class!

TS Gold Objectives Met: 

6. Demonstrates gross motor manipulative skills 

11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning a. Attends and engages b. Persists c. Solves problems d. Shows curiosity and motivation . e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking

12. Remembers and connects experiences 

24. Uses scientific inquiry skills

Exploring Boats 

The children have shown a genuine interest in the boats. This week we provoked their thinking by setting up a large screen, projection of a sailboat and large wooden blocks. The children began their exploration by arranging the large wooden block pieces into a rectangle shape. The children used the triangle blocks to assist them while getting on and off the boat. A second set of blocks were set on top of the platform to act as the seats on the boat.This exploration brought up a lot of ideas about pirates, treasure, where can travel on our boat, and what our boat needs to be successful. 

TS Gold Objectives Met: 

3. Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations a. Balances needs and rights of self and others B. Solves social problems 11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning a. Attends and engages b. Persists c. Solves problems d. Shows curiosity and motivation . e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking

29. Demonstrates knowledge about self 30. Shows basic understanding of people and how they live

36. Explores drama through actions and language

Exploring Fall Through the Visual Arts 

We have had several conversations about the changes we see taking place outside. Many of the children notice how the temperature has been cooler and the trees are changing color. We wanted to bring the various elements of fall indoors. This week we had the children represent the pumpkins and gourds through painting. The children pointed out the bumpy and smooth parts of the gourds and pumpkins. We placed leaves on the light table and discussed the differences among the leaves. 

Ts Gold Objectives Met: 

26. Demonstrates knowledge of the physical properties of objects and materials 33. Explores the visual arts

12. Remembers and connects experiences a. Recognizes and recalls b. Makes connections

7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination a. Uses fingers and hands b. Uses writing and drawing tools

Week in Review (10/10-10/14)

Week in Review (10/10-10/14)

Exploring Pumpkins

Many students have been telling us about pumpkins they have at home or have been noticing in their neighborhoods. We brought pumpkins into the classroom for the children to explore further. First, we offered them small pumpkins to explore in the water table, They observed how the pumpkins looked and they way they floated in the water. Later in the week, the children were able to work with a large pumpkin. They guessed what they would find inside and then got to explore the inside of the pumpkin. They talked about what they saw and compared the pulp and seeds to what they thought would be inside. 

24. Uses scientific inquiry skills 

25. Demonstrates knowledge of the characteristics of living things 

26. Demonstrates knowledge of the physical properties of objects and materials 

27. Demonstrates knowledge of Earth’s environment

 d. Shows curiosity and motivation . 

e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking

 7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination 

a. Uses fingers and hands 

Testing Ramps

To extend on the children's work with ramps, Mrs. Lovejoy added items to the large ramp that would change the movement of the balls rolling down. The children tested this on the ramp and watched how the ball bounced and had a different path of movement compared to the flat ramp. They tried adding different materials to manipulate the ball's movement in new ways. 

11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning
a. Attends and engages
b. Persists
c. Solves problems
d. Shows curiosity and motivation .
e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking 

22. Compares and measures
24. Uses scientific inquiry skills 

Drawing Boats

To extend on the children's interest in boats, we read "The Boat Book" by Gail Gibbons at group time. We learned about several new boats. Afterwards, the children had an opportunity to draw these boats. Children looked at the different boats from the book and chose what to draw. Some chose the sail boats or kayaks while others were interested in drawing a submarine. 

7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination 

a. Uses fingers and hands 

b. Uses writing and drawing tools 8. Listens to and understands increasingly complex language 

a. Comprehends language 

b. Follows directions 

9. Uses language to express thoughts and needs 

a. Uses an expanding expressive vocabulary 

b. Speaks clearly 

12. Remembers and connects experiences 

a. Recognizes and recalls 

b. Makes connections

Week in Review (10/3-10/7)

Week in Review (10/3-10/7)

Trying New Ways to Paint 

The children are always excited to paint in the classroom. Because of this, we offered them a few new ways to paint this week. Children were able to create paintings with new tools like cardboard tubes and sponges. We talked about the marks they made and noticed they were different from normal paintbrushes. They also tried foam paint, a new type of paint they used with their hands. This offered new colors and textures for students to explore. 

7a. Uses fingers and hands 

7b. Uses writing and drawing tools 

8b. Follows directions 
33. Explores the visual arts

Boat Investigation

We extended on the children's interest in boats by incorporating both construction materials and dramatic play opportunities. We noticed children bringing chairs into their boat play so we offered them chairs and large wooden blocks outside on the building platform. The children immediately began designating drivers and fixers in the boat. Many of them were concerned about "blocking the water" and creating boundaries around the boat to "keep the water out". They found a round block to use as a steering wheel and extended blocks from the side of the boat to create "stairs". We are eager to see how the class continues to explore boats. 

1b. Follows limits and expectations 
 3a. Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations 
7a. uses fingers and hands 
10a. Engages in conversation

Building Pathways

The students in our class enjoy building roads and driving cars. We have explored wooden roads, waffle block roads, and train tracks and have used problem solving skills to construct roads that were big in size and connected in many different places. The students have recognized the various modes of transportation and roadways and we are excited to build more roads and learn how cars move. The students have applied real world concepts to their building such as stop signs, construction work caution, bridges and tunnels and are really making connections from what they have already learned from their own experiences and connecting it with their play.  The students are working together to build a community of learners who are kind and share information, space and toys!

1. Regulates own emotions and behaviors
a. Manages feelings
b. Follows limits and expectations
c. Takes care of own needs appropriately
2. Establishes and sustains positive relationships
a. Forms relationships with adults
b. Responds to emotional cues
c. Interacts with peers
d. Makes friends
3. Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations
a. Balances needs and rights of self and others
B. Solves social problems