A Peek into the Cherry Blossom Classroom – week of August 21, 2023

Our Focus Lesson:

We are so excited to have our Blossoms at school with us! It has made our hearts so full to see returning faces and new faces in our classroom!

We were busy this week! Your children learned the “expected behaviors” of our classroom and our school. We practiced walking in a line throughout the building, eating lunch at the lunch tables, sitting for line time, carrying work trays, and walking around work mats.

Reading one of my favorite books, Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden. A wonderful metaphor about how each student grows and learns in their own way. These kiddos may not understand the metaphor yet, but they do appreciate the beautiful illustrations.
Check us out having lunch in the lunch room! We did AMAZING at opening and closing our lunch containers. (Thank you parents!) We also ate so well while still having conversations with our friends!

Preschooler Corner:

Our First Year Preschoolers were introduced to the Practical Life area of the classroom this week. They poured beads from a pitcher into a cup, tonged pom poms into a pumpkin tray, sorted butterflies by color, and used a screwdriver! The Practical Life area of the classroom is so important. This area not only teaches your child real life skills, but it also focuses on developing fine motor skills that your child will later use in handwriting.

Our Second Year Preschoolers came right back to school like they hadn’t been gone at all! They stepped into their new leadership roles and proudly helped the younger students as they learned all about the Cherry Blossom classroom. They worked on the 100 Board, letter sounds, and explored the new life cycle trays in the Science area.

This preschooler is sorting butterfly beads by color. As you can see, she’s using her pincer grasp to pick up the butterflies which means she is strengthening those handwriting muscles!
This preschooler LOVED our screwdriver work. We love to present the children with opportunities to use real life tools that are just their size!
This older preschooler is working on the 100 Board. This work is always a classroom favorite as they put numerals from 1 to 100 in order.

Kindergarten Corner:

Our Kindergarteners settled into their new roles as the oldest children in the classroom wonderfully! We discussed the importance of being strong leaders in the classroom, and how the younger students will be watching them to see what to do. They were helpful and kind to all of the preschool children, while also showing us how much they know! Kindergarteners practiced their reading skills this week, refreshed their math skills, and had their first assignment to turn into Ms. Tonya so they could learn where her mailbox is!

This Kindergartener is using the Vowel Tree to practice reading CVC words, by changing the middle vowel sound. He had a blast deciding if the word was a real word or a “nonsense” word.
This Kindergartener is working with the Phonetic Object Box. He is reading the CVC word and then matching that word to the appropriate picture.

Oh My, Butterflies!

In the Cherry Blossom class, we begin the school year with a butterfly study and end the school year with a butterfly study. If you attended Open House, you met our two Monarch Caterpillars! They were very hungry guys and ate lots of milkweed leaves. By Thursday, they had created their J shape at the top of our observation house on their way to forming their chrysalis. We are so excited to observe this life cycle with our scientist eyes!

This Kindergartener is being a respectful observer to our caterpillars. We can’t wait to see their chrysalis and count down the days until they hatch!

A Peek Into Work Time!

This preschooler is all smiles as they work with the Tens Board to compose numbers between 10 and 99!
This preschooler built a snake with the Pink Tower and Brown Stairs!
This preschooler was SO EXCITED to find the matching parrot pictures on our Bird tray in the Science area!

Enrichment Corner:

Enrichments will begin next week and we are so excited!

A Peek Into Next Week:

Our Focus Lesson: Expected Behaviors and Grace & Courtesy

Classroom Chores begin next week!

Important Dates:

Monday, September 4 – No School/Labor Day

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