Monday, September 30, 2013

43 to the ceiling!

In another effort to encourage some mathematical thinking, we put out the number peg boards along with a few more than 43 pegs.  I know this amount thanks to the hard work one of the boys did.  He started by stacking the pegs on tops of each other and then used a stool to reach higher.  At about 27 pegs, we had to move the tower to the stool.  After a few more pegs, we moved to tower to the floor and the boy to the stool.  Once we hit his height this way, he decided to move the tower back to the table top and I started stacking pegs.  By this time, two other boys had joined us and they all took turns handing me pegs to stack.  When I thought we were done, my original mathematician suggested I stand on the stool and we could continue.  At 43 pegs we had reached the ceiling. 

Did I mention we had to count the pegs after the addition of each new one!!!

Like I said in the title, it takes 43 pegs to reach the ceiling.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Plum Crazy

Today was fresh fruit day at school and we got a bucket of plums to enjoy.  They were passed out at snack time and we talked about their color and taste.  Of the ten children who were given this fresh opportunity, three did not like the plum, five did like the plum, and two chose not to try it.
Speaking of plums, I covered the morning class while Mrs. Berman was at a training and I had a blast.  While we were at recess, two of the girls ran up to me and said I was crazy.  Ahh, it's good to be among those who understand me the most.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Funny Cakes

So...we followed the recipe for Bunny Cakes and had a grand time making inedible funny cakes.  We talked about how the ingredients felt, what the mixture looked like, and what the dough smelled like.  Some of our cakes went home for baking and some will be baked by Mrs. Berman.  I hope no one comes in tomorrow saying they have to stay home sick because they wanted to find out what their cakes tasted like!!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

What's That Smell?

Today was a smelly day!!
It started with a chart entitled 'What Does It Smell Like?' and ended with answers like vanilla pudding, sour-y, and poop (we are preschoolers after all).  The real three smells were vanilla extract, cinnamon extract, and almond extract.  Of course I couldn't smell any of them thanks to a "sports injury" several years ago.  Check back tomorrow to find out about our bunny cakes.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Counting Backwards

Mrs. Berman and I have been doing a lot of work with your children regarding rote counting, one-to-one correspondence while counting, and counting on (start counting from a number that is not one).  Today the AM class did some activities centered around counting backwards.  They started with ten and counted down to zero and then instead of Blast Off! they yelled Line Up!  Mrs. Berman asked one particular child to count backward, and so he did; while walking backward he recited his numbers.  Ah, the innocence of a child is a wonderful thing.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Look Boss, da plane!!

We have started our third week studying our five senses and have had some interesting conversations about tastes and smells particularly.  Today we had an indoor sound hunt in which we heard people walking by our classroom, other children talking, and traffic noises through the window.  For comparison, we also had an outdoor sound hunt in which we heard a plane. There were actually lots of other sounds but that one jet engine captured everyone's listening attention.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Can we sing the No Song?

A few kids and I were sitting on the floor with some instruments singing different songs.  Of course we sang Jingle Bells and the Alphabet Song, those are always favorites.  One child asked if we could sing the No Song.  I told her I didn't know it and asked if she could sing it first.  The melody and rhythm were familiar but the words were a whole new twist on a classic:
E-I-N-B-O
E-I-N-B-O
E-I-N-B-O
And that's how we know to say no.

Always keep a tune in your head and a smile on your heart.  Have a great weekend!!!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

How Do You Know?

Mrs. Berman and I are trying to encourage our kiddos to meta-cognate so a frequently asked question in our room is "How do you know?"   While counting the days of the month, we'll ask "How do you know 19 is next?" Kids playing at the water table who are talking about the temperature of the water are asked "How do you know it is going to be cold water and not hot water?"
Metacognition is thinking about your thinking and learning about how you learn.  It is a very valuable skill that all of to practice.  And it's pretty fun to see the looks on their faces as they try to figure out exactly how do they know that ice in the water is really going to be freezing.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Picture Day Rocks,

     Ah, today was picture day.  For parents this is a day of picking out the right outfit; for preschool students this is a day where snack happens a little bit later, and for us teachers this is the day when we see those squished lipped, scrunched up eye, "do not giggle" smiles that we will all enjoy so much every time we look at them.
    My kiddos traipsed down the stairs and through the cafeteria full of fifth graders in a perfect line of four year olds.  Then we turned around and went back to our room because the photo line was running late.  We had our group shot taken in our room and then we went back downstairs and through the cafeteria, this time not quite so full of fifth graders, and gave the photographer our best squishes and scrunches.
    In case you're wondering, the final count for our Making Memories tour was 6 hallways, 9 doors, about 24 stairs, and 2 tissues.  We rock!!!!