Peek into our Week – Cherry Blossoms – week of 11/6/23

Written by

Focus Lesson: Animal Classification – Mammals & Birds

We have continued our study of the Animal Kingdom over the past two weeks. Our Blossoms are currently studying groups of Vertebrates. We started with Mammals and Birds!

What makes a mammal a mammal? We learned that mammals are warm blooded, covered in hair or fur, breathe air with their lungs, give birth to live babies, take care of their babies, and babies drink their mother’s milk.

What makes a bird a bird? We learned that birds are warm blooded, covered in feathers, breathe air with their lungs, hatch from hard shelled eggs, take care of their babies, and don’t have teeth – they have beaks!

With each of these classification studies, the children have been introduced to different species of mammals and birds, as well as the parts of one specific animal. For mammals we learned about the parts of a horse, and for birds we were introduced to the parts of a bird in general but encouraged to look through our various bird books to see how birds look different.

These two children are working together to determine if an animal is a mammal or not a mammal. Just one of the ways we review the characteristics of animals!
This child is working with our Mammal 3 Part Cards under the watchful eye of Douglas, the goat (who is a mammal by the way).
This child is working with our Bird 3 Part Cards. All of these birds within this work can be see around your backyard at home or around the school!

Our Favorite Visitor – Charlotte

Mr. John surprised us with a visit from Charlotte, the tarantula and one of his hissing cockroaches. As a group, we reviewed what we know about arachnids and insects while observing these animals more up close. Thank you Mr. John!

Peek into Work Time:

All smiles for Dynamic Addition! We’ve started practicing carrying over with our Equation of the Day!
Check our those beautiful cursive u’s!
Such a beautiful watercolor painting!

Peek into Next Week!

Focus Lesson: Reptiles

November 17: Operation Christmas Child Packing Party

November 22-24: No School – Thanksgiving Holiday

Come work with us! Bring Your Parent to Work Days! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B48A8A92DA6F94-45382631-cherry#/

Peek into our Week – Cherry Blossoms – week of 10/23/23

Written by

Our Focus Lesson: Vertebrates, Invertebrates, & Arachnids!

This week we started our study of the Animal Kingdom. We began with the two biggest categories – Vertebrates and Invertebrates! Vertebrates have a backbone and are classified into 5 groups – mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. We will spend a week on each of these categories over the upcoming weeks. Invertebrates are animals that do not have a backbone. We will learn about 2 groups of invertebrates this school year – insects and arachnids. However, we were also introduced to some other categories this week – crustaceans, worms, mollusks, sponges, corals, and jellyfish!

Speaking of Arachnids… we learned all about arachnids this week, but mostly about SPIDERS! Spiders have two body parts and eight legs. There are many types of spiders, some are poisonious and others are not. We learned the life cycle of a spider – egg sac, eggs, spiderlings, and spiders. We learned the parts of a spider. And we ended the week with an adorable spider craft!

Preschool Corner:

Some of our older Preschoolers were introduced to one of my favorite work activities this week – the Moveable Alphabet! We use the Moveable Alphabet for so many concepts, including isolating the beginning sounds of words and sounding out words phonetically! This material allows children to work on their writing skills without the pressure of forming each letter – although we work on that skill within the classroom as well!

Kindergarten Corner:

Kindergarteners from all of the primary classrooms participated in their first “Author Share”! At the end of each Writer’s Workshop unit, the children read one of their pieces of writing to their peers. We celebrate the hard work of our friends as well as practice some public speaking skills. I am so very proud of my favorite authors! At the end of the Author Share event, Ms. Kelley surprised the group with a fun, Halloween themed reading game of choosing words out of a cauldron and using their “sound detective” skills to read the words!

TRUNK OR TREAT!

We had SO MUCH FUN at our Trunk or Treat event! We started the day by decorating our classroom and then played some games with our wonderful parent helpers! We saw so many wonderful trunks during Trunk or Treat and ended our day by watching Room on the Broom!

Peek Into Next Week!

November 10: Parent/Teacher Conferences – No School for Students

November 17: Operation Christmas Child Packing Party

November 22-24: No School – Thanksgiving Holiday

Important Links!

Conferences Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B48A8A92DA6F94-45429988-2023#/

Come work with us! Bring Your Parent to Work Days! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B48A8A92DA6F94-45382631-cherry#/

A Peek at our Week – Cherry Blossom – week of 10/16/23

Written by

Our Focus Lesson: Trees

This week the Cherry Blossom class learned about Trees! We learned the parts of a tree from the roots and trunk (stem) to the branches and leaves. We know that each part of the tree has some very important jobs to do. The roots soak up the water for the tree, but also hold the tree into the ground and keep it from falling over. The trunk holds the tree up. The branches hold the leaves. And the leaves collect sunlight and turn it into food for the tree so it can grow. We also discussed the life cycle of a tree. Seed, seedling, young tree and older tree. Some trees also have blossoms that grow into fruit to spread their seeds. Other trees, like oak trees and maple trees, just drop their seeds to the ground. We will return to plants and talk more about how seeds spread in the springtime!

This preschooler built the Parts of a Plant puzzle on her work mat, and then worked with Ms. Tonya to label the different parts of the plant.
This Kindergartener traced the Parts of a Plant puzzle and is using his knowledge of letters to read the label, and label his tree diagram.

Preschool Corner:

Preschoolers practiced What Does Not Belong skills in the Language area this week. Our younger preschoolers continued to work on counting with one to one correspondence and number recognition in Math, while our older preschoolers were introduced to Colored Bead Bar Addition. They were introduced to the Knobless Cylinder boxes and their extension cards this week in the Sensorial area of the classroom. Preschoolers also reviewed Characteristics of Living Things while classifying plants vs. animals.

This preschooler sorted pictures into Plants or Animals while also reviewing what animals need to grow and what plants need to grow.
This preschooler is completing addition equations using the colored bead bars.

Kindergarten Corner:

Kindergarteners reviewed the Parts of a Leaf and Parts of a Tree this week in Science. Not only did they learn new vocabulary words through this work, but we also talked about the important jobs each of these parts do for the plant. We discussed two of my favorite words – chlorophyll and photosynthesis! Students also had their final swing letter assessment in our Cursive Handwriting lessons. We’ll be moving onto curve letters next week! In Math, Kindergarteners have been working with the Golden Bead materials to work on their addition skills. Each day they have an “Equation of the Day” on the board to complete using the Golden Beads. They’re doing so well! In Language, Kindergarteners continue to work through their reading skills at their own pace.

This Kindergartener labeled the Parts of a Leaf by reading the labels and placing them where they go. We also reviewed what each part of the leaf is responsible for.
This Kindergartener is working on his Equation of the Day using the Golden Bead materials!

A Peek into Work Time:

This preschooler is working with the Pink Tower Extensions to explore the Pink Tower in a different way.
All children in our classroom are learning the names of the Continents. We will practice this concept in many ways throughout the school year. This preschooler is coloring a world map, using our specific continent colors.
This preschooler is working with the Teens Board, but with the numbers mixed up. This allows the child to focus on the symbol and match the appropriate quanitity when they are ready for more of a challenge.

Enrichment Spotlight: ASL!

We love our Friday ASL lessons! This week we learned how to sign numbers, and then read a Halloween counting book where we practiced signing the numbers and the Halloween characters we saw in the book!

A Peek into Next Week!

Focus Lesson: Vertebrates/Invertebrates & Arachnids

Friday, October 27: Trunk or Treat event!

Friday, November 10: Parent/Teacher Conferences – No School for Students

Friday, November 17: Operation Christmas Child Packing Party

A Peek at our Week – Cherry Blossoms – week of 10/9/23

Written by

Focus Lesson: Leaves

This week we learned all about leaves. We learned that they are just one part of the whole plant, but that they have a super important job to do – they use sunlight to make food for the plant so that it can grow! However, we had a question to explore. Why do leaves change color in the fall? We learned that leaves contain chlorophyll, a green pigment that collects the sunlight for the plant. In the fall, as the days become shorter and the tree prepares to “go to sleep” for the winter, it no longer needs that chlorophyll. The leaves then show their natural colors. Those reds, oranges, and yellows were there the whole time!

This preschooler is creating a Parts of a Leaf book to take home. She will color only one part of the leaf at a time, and then label that part.

Preschool Corner:

Our preschoolers are working so hard on their math skills at the moment! We have many different manipulatives within the classroom to learn quantity and corresponding symbols. Here’s just a peek at the many different work activities we have on the math shelf!

This preschooler is working with the Number Rods. This work allows the child to first practice one to one correspondence while also visually seeing how numbers get bigger. Then we introduce the child to the corresponding symbol!
This preschooler is working with our Table Top Rods. These are a smaller version of our Number Rods. We use the Table Top Rods to not only match quantity to the corresponding symbol, but also use them later on when we begin learning addition! This child is strengthening her concept of quantity and symbol by having the numbers mixed up and in random order.
This preschooler received a lesson on the Teen Board this week! We are continuing to work on quantity, name, and symbol with this work but now we are working with teen numbers!

Kindergarten Corner:

Our Kindergarteners have spent the past couple weeks working with cardinal and intermediate directions in the Cultural area of our classroom. We continued to find the mnemonic Never Eat Soggy Waffles hilarious as we walked the hallways using a compass and labeling maps.

This kindergartener is practicing labeling a compass rose with cardinal and intermediate directions.
This kindergartener labeled the cardinal directions on his map, and then used his knowledge of directions to answer some geographical questions.

In the Language area of the classroom, Kindergarteners were introduced to consonants and vowels. We worked really hard on learning the 5 main vowels – a, e, i, o, u. We then used this knowledge to sort letters into categories and mark up words on paper.

These kindergarteners are sorting letters into consonants and vowels.

Pumpkin Season!

Last week the Cherry Blossom class learned all about PUMPKINS! We learned the life cycle from seed to pumpkin. We also washed a pumpkin in the Practical Life area since the pumpkin was so dirty from being in the pumpkin patch! We ended the week by cutting open the pumpkin we brought back from Ramseyer Farms and labeling the parts of a pumpkin. Then each child received a chance to use 4 of their 5 senses to explore the pumpkin like a scientist!

This kindergartener is bringing his Writer’s Workshop lessons into the classroom! We learned in Writer’s Workshop that labels give the reader more information. He then drew a beautiful pumpkin in his sketchbook and labeled the parts of a pumpkin! Wonderful work!

Enrichment Spotlight: Music and Library

In Music Class, we’ve begun using instruments! We learned how to use Rhythm Sticks this week and then enjoyed marching with our sticks, as well as hitting and rubbing them together to create different sounds.
After Ms. Lindsey reads us books and sings us songs, then the children get to choose a library book to borrow and keep in the classroom for the week. Hunting for the perfect book is the best part of our Library visits!

A Peek into Next Week:

Friday, October 27: Trunk or Treat event! (A Sign Up Genius was sent to your Remind today if you are interested in being a classroom helper for this event!)

Friday, November 10: Parent/Teacher Conferences. (Sign ups will go out soon!) There is NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS on this day.

A Peek into our Week – Cherry Blossoms – week of 9/25/23

Written by

Our Focus Lesson:

Apples! We learned all about apples this week! Blossoms began the week learning that a group of apple trees is called an orchard. We brainstormed all of the things we already knew about apples and were extremely excited to find apples in our lunch boxes. We then discussed the life cycle of an apple from seed to tree to blossom to apple. We also learned about the parts of an apple – skin, flesh, core, seeds, and stem. At the end of the week we gathered some scientific data as we taste tested a Gala apple, a Granny Smith apple and apple cider. Everyone LOVED the apple cider!

Those Granny Smith apples can be so sour!
Collecting our scientific data.
Apple cider is the best!

A Peek into Work Time:

Here is a snapshot of all of the different ways we brought apples into our work activities this week!

This preschooler is matching pictures. To make this work a little more challenging, he is matching the object to its shadow, which gives the child an opportunity to slow down and pay attention to details.
This preschooler is working on his classification skills. He has sorted real life pictures into two categories – apples and not apples.
This child is pin poking an apple. Our pin poking activity is a classroom favorite for all of the ages! Our younger students are practicing poking holes on the black line of the shape. Our older students are trying to poke holes as close together as possible on the black line so that they can remove the shape from its background. This work is fantastic for strengthening those fine motor skills we need for handwriting!
This preschooler is tearing paper and pasting the pieces inside of the apple shape. Ripping paper is another way we are strengthening fine motor skills while also creating a wonderful apple craft!
This preschooler is working on her rhyming skills with our apple themed rhyming cards!
This Kindergartener is isolating the middle sound of words and sorting them by the vowel sound that he hears in the word.
This child is creating her own Parts of an Apple booklet to bring home! She is only coloring one part of the apple at a time and then labeling that part.

Enrichment Spotlight – Music, Art, and ASL!

Ms. Lisa has introduced the Blossoms to forte (loud) and piano (soft) music. We’ve been learning lots of new songs and games, but our favorite is the Bubbles song!
Ms. Varela has introduced the Blossoms to different types of lines that they will find within art. This week they created leaves by tracing around their own hands and then filled in their leaf shapes using color pastels.
Mr. Thompson introduced us to our classroom mascot. We are the Brave Gorillas this year! Ask your child to sign brave gorilla for you!

A Peek into Next Week:

Focus Lesson: Pumpkins!

Important Dates:

October 27: Trunk or Treat event

November 10: Parent/Teacher Conferences (No School for students)

A Peek into our Week – Cherry Blossoms – week of 9/18/23

Written by

Our Focus Lesson:

This week we learned all about the Four Seasons. We learned that we are currently in the season of summer but that the season will change this Saturday to fall or autumn! We discussed what sort of activities we could do in all of the seasons, what the different temperatures would feel like in each season, and some of the things we can observe with our scientist eyes. We also learned that because of the tilt of the Earth on its axis, that while we are having summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere is having winter! We’re really looking forward to exploring all that fall has to offer us over the next months!

Ms. Sam giving a group lesson about what we would see in each of the 4 seasons.
This child completed the 4 seasons sorting activity we have in Science!
“Let’s sing the 4 seasons song! Winter, spring, summer, fall!” We love to sing along with Jack Hartmann!

Preschool Corner:

Our preschoolers have been busy sorting in both the Practical Life and Sensorial areas of the classroom. All year long we will be practicing sorting by color, shape, size, and then by two attributes at once! Why is sorting so important? Grouping objects by color, size or shape helps develop visual memory, a skill that assists with problem solving!

This preschooler is sorting butterflies by color.
This preschooler is sorting the characters by shape.
This preschooler is sorting by both shape and color!

Kindergarten Corner:

Our Kindergarteners have been so busy working on their individual reading skills with Ms. Tonya in the classroom and Ms. Kelley during Reader’s Workshop. They love to read their books to their teachers! They also completed their lessons on the different types of triangles with Ms. Sam this week in the Sensorial area of the classroom. In Math, we are diving into our Addition unit!

These Kindergarteners had a lesson on how to use the Addition Strip Board to practice their addition math facts!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A big Happy Birthday to our newest 4 year old and our newest 5 year old!

A Peek into Work Time:

Our individual work periods are getting longer and we are well on our way to being a normalized classroom. What is a normalized classroom? Maria Montessori wrote, “The greatest sign of success for a teacher… is to be able to say ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.’” Some characteristics of a normalized classroom would be a room where the children are freely choosing their work activities, concentrating on their work, and finding joy in the work that they are doing.

Here’s a snapshot of what work time looks like in our classroom!

Ramseyer Farms!

We had a BLAST at Ramseyer Farms! It was such a beautiful, perfect day! A huge THANK YOU to all of the parents and grandparents that helped make our field trip such a success! We couldn’t have done it without you!

A Peek into Next Week:

Our Focus Lesson: Apples

Important Dates:

October 27: Trunk or Treat event

November 10: Parent/Teacher Conferences (No School for students)

A Peek into our Week – Cherry Blossoms – week of 9/11/23

Written by

Our Focus Lesson:

We learned all about our 5 Senses this week in the Cherry Blossom classroom! Our 5 senses are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. We learned that we use our 5 senses to learn all about the world around us every day. We practiced using our sense of sight to match pictures, our sense of hearing to pair sound cylinders, our sense of touch to match fabrics, and our sense of smell and taste during lunch!

This child is using our sound cylinders. He is listening to the sound the red cylinder makes and matching it to the blue cylinder that makes the same sound using his sense of hearing.
This child is using our fabric box. The fabric box contains different types of fabrics that feel different from each other. The child may use a blindfold, if they choose to, to match the two pieces of fabric together using their sense of touch.

Ms. Sam introduced the Blossoms to the Where I Am in the World lesson. She started by introducing the children to their planet, then continent, country, state, city, and finally our school. This is an introductory lesson that we will build upon all school year long!

OH – IO!

Preschool Corner:

I am sure you are familiar with the sandpaper letters. This beautiful work is well known in the Montessori classroom environment. But the children use these letters in so many different ways! In the Blossoms class the letters a, c, r, and t can be found in the red pouch. If your child ever mentions the red pouch, then they are working on these letter sounds! We always teach sound first, and letter name later.

This preschooler is tracing the sandpaper letter and writing the letter in the sand tray, while being introduced to the sound!
This preschooler knows the sounds these letters make, so he is now isolating the beginning sound of the word and matching the corresponding picture to the letter sound.
These two preschoolers are playing I Spy. They are helping each other practice isolating the beginning sound of words.

Kindergarten Corner:

Reader’s Workshop and Writer’s Workshop are going so well with this group of Kindergarteners! In Reader’s Workshop, children played games with Ms. Kelley to isolate the beginning sounds of words. Readers also read short stories and answered comprehension questions.

In Writer’s Workshop, our young authors began adding labels to their illustrations. We worked on stretching our words out slowly and writing down the sounds they hear.

This Kindergartener drew an amazing under the sea picture. You can see she is labeling the animals in her illustration with the first sound she hears in the word.
This Kindergartener labeled her zoo illustration and it is wonderful!

Enrichment Spotlight: Tae Kwon Do Demo!

Blossoms had so much fun at the Tae Kwon Do demo this week with Master Barnick! Master Barnick introduced stretching, punching, kicking, and a fun game. We also practiced yelling “Yes, sir!” after directions were given.

A Peek into Work Time:

Blossoms were introduced to Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh in art class this week. We brought this lesson into the classroom and made beautiful pictures using markers.
This Kindergartener was introduced to “magic e” this week! He is working with the Vowel Tree to practice reading words where the vowel says its name.

A Peek into Next Week:

Wednesday 9/20 is Picture Day!

Friday 9/22 is the Ramseyer Farm field trip!

A Peek into our Week – Cherry Blossom Classroom – week of September 4, 2023

Written by

Our Focus Lesson:

This week all of our Blossoms learned characteristics of living things and characteristics of non-living things. We learned that living things need food, water, and air. Living things also grow and make more of themselves, or reproduce. Your child practiced identifying if items were living or non-living. You can practice this concept with them at home!

Blossoms were also introduced to categorizing in the Science area. Children practiced identifying if something was an animal or a plant. We learned that animals move on their own, while plants stay where they are. Animals also eat food while plants make their own. Another concept you can practice with your children at home!

This is Spike, one of our classroom plants. We discussed how Spike is a living thing because it needs food, water, air, it grows, and it makes more of itself.
This is Fred, another of our classroom plants. Fred is a non-living thing. It does not need food, water, or air. It will not grow and it will not make more of itself.
Ms. Sam is reading one of our favorite books, I am Josephine and I am a Living Thing.

Preschool Corner:

Preschoolers worked on their Handwriting skills this week!

This child is working with our cursive booklets. We work on holding our marker correctly and following the line from the apple to the tree. This is a beginning handwriting work that prepares our hands for writing!
This child is using the chalkboard to practice writing her name. We use this chalkboard to not only focus on correct formation of letters, but also practice keeping our letters within the box. We are developing those fine motor skills!
This child traced and labeled a horse! This work activity can be found within the Science area of our classroom, but also works on our handwriting skills!

Kindergarten Corner:

Our Kindergartners continued their study of the seven continents this week! They traced and labeled our world map puzzle on posterboard which we proudly displayed in the classroom for all to see!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A big Happy Birthday to our newest four year old and our newest five year old!

A Peek into Work Time!

We bring the concept we are learning in Art Class with Ms. Varela into the classroom on a tray in the art area. This week we focused on pasting small pieces of paper onto a line. More fine motor development!
This child is working on his one to one correspondence in Math with counting objects! We will tell the child a number and then have them count out the correct amount of popsicle sticks!
This child is working with our object to picture matching activity in the Language area of the classroom. This is just one of our many prelanguage works – the activities we do before we begin letters!

Oh My, Butterflies!

Remember those caterpillars you saw at Open House? Well they have completed their metamorphosis! (Metamorphosis is one of my most favorite words!) Our butterflies hatched this week and we were excellent scientific observers as we watched how the butterfly moved its wings.

This female monarch butterfly is off to Mexico for her long migration!

Movement Fridays!

We are all about moving on Fri-yays! This week we had a wonderful dance party in the gym with our Aspen friends, and we also met Ms. Jaime from Cosmic Kids Yoga in the classroom! Check out our awesome yoga poses!

A Peek into Next Week!

Our Focus Lesson: The 5 Senses

Important Dates:

September 11 – Tae Kwon Do Demo

September 20 – Picture Day

September 22 – Ramseyer Farm Field Trip

A Peek into our Week – Cherry Blossom Classroom – week of August 28, 2023

Written by

Our Focus Lesson:

We continued to work on Expected Behaviors within the classroom and the school this week. The children are quickly learning the routines and are staying busy during our work periods!

Preschool Corner:

Preschoolers were busy this week! Ms. Sam introduced our younger students to the prelanguage materials in Language and one to one correspondence in Math. Older preschool students worked with both teachers on composing numbers in the teens and tens in Math, letter sounds in Language, and name writing in Handwriting. They’re all doing great!

Ms. Sam is giving a lesson to a group of preschoolers on the characteristics of living and non-living.
This preschooler is working with our cursive booklets. The child traces various shapes to develop their fine motor skills and prepare for cursive handwriting.
This preschooler is playing “I Spy” with a teacher. Our “I Spy” objects allow the child to practice isolating beginning, middle, and ending sounds of words – an important stepping stone on the way to reading!

Kindergarten Corner:

Kindergarteners had a very busy week this week. They began their Kindergarten Lessons within the classroom where they were introduced to the continents, golden bead materials, the types of triangles, and writing their names in cursive. They worked individually on their reading skills with their teachers and are bringing home books to read at home this weekend! Kindergarteners also traveled to Writer’s Workshop, Reader’s Workshop, and Science Lab this week!

This is what our Kindergarten Lessons look like! Children are learning the names of the different continents, reviewing land and water, and being introduced to some fun facts about each continent.
Here are our Cardinals during Writer’s Workshop! We brainstormed ideas of what we could write about this school year and started our first illustrations!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A very Happy Birthday to our newest 6 year old!

A Peek into Work Time!

This child was very interested in the Sandpaper Globe so we followed the child’s interest and had a lesson! She was introduced to land and water on our planet, but she just really loved how “rough” the sandpaper felt on her fingers!
This child is all smiles as she has mastered the Spindle Box! She has a better understanding of the correlation between quantity and symbol and is now ready to be introduced to a new Math activity!

Enrichment Spotlight!

Our first Music Class with Ms. Lisa on Monday! We sang songs and danced a bit too!
Our first Art Class with Ms. Varela on Tuesday! We worked on pasting paper on a line!
Our first Science Class with Mr. John! We started the year with a chemical reaction, creating carbon dioxide and filling a balloon!

A Peek Into Next Week!

Our Focus Lesson: Living and Non-Living Characteristics

Important Dates:

September 4 – No School/Labor Day

September 11 – Tae Kwon Do Demo

September 20 – Picture Day

September 22 – Ramseyer Farm Field Trip

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

Written by

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