Pumpkins
Miss Kris’s Class
Week of October 21st
Book-AM-Pumpkins-Melvin and Gilda Berger Art-AM-fisted hand pumpkins
PM-Pumpkin Pumpkin- Jeanne Titherington PM-paper bag pumpkins
Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate-poem/song
we will sing throughout the week
Easel-open ended drawing with colored pencils Feeling Table-beans/pumpkins
Dramatic Play-kitchen/costume shop Small Group/Table Time Activities-puzzles,
playdough, art & other fine motor activities.
Tuesday Thursday
Choice Time (9:15-9:55/1:00-1:40) Choice Time (9:15-9:55/1:00-1:40)
Includes: blocks, toys, easel, feeling table, Includes: blocks, toys, easel, feeling table,
art/writing, listening center and dramatic play art/writing, listening center and dramatic play
Small Group/Table Time (9:55-10:15/1:40-2:00) Small Group/Table Time (9:55-10:15/1:40-2:00)
Recess (10:15-10:35/2:00-2:20) Recess (10:15-10:35/2:00-2:20)
Large Group (10:35-11:05/2:20-2:50) Large Group (10:35-11:05/2:20-2:50)
Greetings Greetings
Activity-Introduction to pumpkins, target vocabulary Activity -pumpkin seed counting part II (continue with
and listen to life cycle of pumpkin on youtube same numbers or go higher if ready).
Snack-Book & Music (11:05-11:35/2:50-3:25) Snack-Book & Music (11:05-11:35/2:50-3:25)
Wednesday Friday
Choice Time (9:15-9:55/1:00-1:40) Choice Time (9:15-9:55/1:00-1:40)
Includes: blocks, toys, easel, feeling table, Includes: blocks, toys, easel, feeling table,
art/writing, listening center and dramatic play art/writing, listening center and dramatic play
Small Group/Table Time (9:55-10:15/1:40-2:00) Small Group/Table Time (9:55-10:15/1:40-2:00)
Recess (10:15-10:35/2:00-2:20) Recess (10:15-10:35/2:00-2:20)
Large Group (10:35-11:05/2:20-2:50) Large Group (10:35-11:05/2:20-2:50)
Greetings Greetings
Activity-Pumpkin seed counting part I Miss Meghan’s Language Activity
AM-target more/less and amounts 1-5
PM-amounts 1-7 and number identification
Snack-Book & Music (11:05-11:35/2:50-3:25) Snack-Book & Music (11:05-11:35/2:50-3:25)
This Week- We wrapped up our discussion of leaves. Our friends have noticed that each day more and more leaves are turning colors. Our stories of the week gave our budding artists great ideas. In both stories (Fall Leaves Fall and Leaf Man) children in the story use leaves to make pictures. It was great to see the information and ideas heard about in the story being translated and seen in the art projects. Our friends had a great time going on “Leaf Hunt”. We read the story several times and acted out the parts (going up/down a mountain, through a dark forest, around a waterfall and across a lake. Then we ran fast away from a stinky skunk! This was such a fun adventure targeting gross motor, language concepts and sequencing. J
Although circle, centers and art (really most activities) have lessons and activities focused around a certain theme, very specific skills are being targeted within the themes. Of course vocabulary about the theme is discussed but IEP goals and foundational skills for higher learning are embedded in all our activities. Throughout the day and through play, your child is working on name recognition, letter/sound awareness, counting (rote, object, meaningful), number identification, spatial concepts, social skills, language skills, fine motor and gross motor skills. All of these skills are embedded throughout your child’s day for maximum exposure, repetition and practice. We sneak these skills in during centers, circle, table time, snack, recess, music, individual, small and large group activities. These are all skills that lay the foundation of learning as they enter elementary skill. As you can see, “playing” is very hard work! J
Next Week- We will begin a new study of pumpkins. We will discover and discuss how a seed grows into a pumpkin. The vocabulary words include pumpkin, stem, seed, sprout, vine, carve and jack-o-lantern. We will use photos, books, videos and songs to help learn and reinforce the sequence needed to grow. Along with the introduction and life cycle of pumpkins, we will use pumpkins and seeds to practice lots and lots of counting. Several days at circle time we will work on the concepts of more/less, object counting and number identification. Our dramatic play are will open as a costume shop. Friends can come and put on various costumes donated to the room. We have visuals available to help practice and reinforce the trick-or-treat sequence and language. Plus…..it is great to see so many friends dressed up!
Center Teaching
Your child may have shared with you that we have had our feeling table closed the past few weeks. The team has been working on teaching and modeling play in each of our centers to help our friends understand, explore and complete play schemes. By having fewer choices open at center time, we are able to put a team member in each center to help with these skills. We have seen great work by our friends! They are staying longer in each center, completing play schemes and developing more complicated (higher level) play schemes. This is our goal! J We have also been introducing video modeling for each center. While being videoed, team members model appropriate language, skills and expectations for each center. We then view it with the class many times and talk about the actions. Our first video was about the feeling table. We have been watching it this week and will re-open the feeling table next week. We will video another next week to focus on the skills appropriate for the center.
Link to pumpkin life cycle- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU-GwFHQZI8&list=PL_Wmqj2XyGo5oJpDcRhvcla3Ce2mlDf6Z&index=8
Outside play
We will continue to go outside for recess as long as the weather holds out. Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket appropriate for outside weather. On that note, please do not have your child bring an umbrella on rainy days. We do not go outside when the weather is poor. We have giant umbrellas to use at arrival and departure. It makes it so much easier for staff to get students in and out of the building in poor weather. Thank you J
Favorite Apps
A nice practice for trick-or-treating is the app Fat Cat Spooky Chat. It has nice verbal models of phrases used for trick or treating. Another fun app is from Parents called Carve-a pumpkin. This allows children to create their own virtual jack-o-lantern. Simply type the name of the apps in the search box at the app store.
Important Dates
October 18 9:00 Jet Jog preschooler-scaled “fun run”
October 23 Picture Retake Day
October 27 Kris’s Parent/Teacher Conference Night
October 31 9:35 and 1:20 Halloween Parades